Photo: York College ISLGP, CC BY 2.0 — Source
American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist whose autobiography 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' (1969) brought her international recognition and became one of the most widely read memoirs of the 20th century. She wrote seven autobiographies, numerous poetry collections, and worked as an actress, director, and producer. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. She recited her poem 'On the Pulse of Morning' at President Clinton's 1993 inauguration. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Source: Poetry Foundation