The Inspiration and Humanity of Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
By A. B. Assensoh, Ph.D.*
Upon the recent death of Dr. Maya Angelou, aged 86, President Barack Obama, referred to her as “one of the brightest lights of our time—a brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman.” The American President made another remark about this inspiring icon: “She inspired my own mother to name my sister Maya.” I benefitted, in a personal way, from her inspiration as well as her humanistic ways of dealing with others. Because of her generosity and kindness, I was able to complete my graduate studies at New York University (NYU) in the early 1980s. Initially, I encountered Dr. Angelou on the Lincoln University campus. She was there to speak with President Herman Branson, under whose auspices I had travelled to the campus from Europe, to partly lecture to classes on Journalism and Communication in Africa. When I saw Dr. Angelou on campus, I went to say hello and introduced myself to her, as being originally from Ghana. She laughed heartily, as she said that she knew Ghana very well and Ghana’s former President Nkrumah well too. “I liked Ghana very much when I lived there with other Negro friends,” she added. My second encounter was at an airport, where she gave me a card with her name and her campus affiliation but, strangely, no phone number. I kept the card and in the early 1980s, I reached out to Dr. Angelou to seek her help in securing additional funding for my graduate studies at NYU. I already had a teaching fellowship, but that was not enough to cover the costs of books and rent in the Washington Square Village area of NYU. I contacted her and mentioned my initial encounter with her on the Lincoln University campus, then stated my mission which was to seek financial assistance! As I learned later, Dr. Angelou called the NYU Registrar’s office to speak with me, and she was directed to the History Department. Since the phone numbers of students were not given out to anyone, the secretary simply connected Dr. Angelou to my apartment phone. She identified herself, and made a joke that she had gone through a lot of trouble to reach me. She wanted to see what she could do for me in my financial predicament. Grateful for her concern, I said: “Thank you very much, Madam.” She retorted that she had not done anything yet for me to thank her. She went on to ask about my NYU studies. Impressed by what I had told her, she remarked that with a high GPA, she would work to find funding for me through the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Soon after, a female employee from the UNCF called to confirm my cumulative GPA, and to ask a few more questions. Shortly thereafter, I received information that I had been given a 21st Century UNCF Scholarship, which provided the funds that I needed to continue my studies. It came with an invitation to attend the annual UNCF benefit and scholars’ dinner at the Waldorf Astoria. There, I sat next to Lynton Price, the famous Mississippi soprano, who detected my accent and, therefore, she asked where I was from. I told her I was from Ghana, and I mentioned how Dr. Maya Angelou and Dillard University made my UNCF connection possible. As a friend of Dr. Angelou, Ms. Price said that she was “glad Maya helped me with the UNCF”, for which she did musical benefits. I still wonder if Ms. Angelou received my letter of appreciation, as we never communicated again, but whenever I have a new book published, I remembered her inspiration and obvious kindness! When my co-authored book, Malcolm X: A Biography, was published in the Fall of 2013, I had Dr. Angelou in mind, and I wondered if I should send her a personalized copy. May she rest in perfect peace!!
*A.B. Assensoh is currently serving as Courtesy Professor Emeritus of History at University of Oregon, and he is a Professor Emeritus of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA.