Marguerite Ann Johnson was born in St. Louis Missouri on April 4, 1928. Raised in Stamps Arkansas she experienced prejudice and discrimination because she was of African American descent. From her southern education and religious beliefs thru adversity to single motherhood and her self classification as an entertainer. She became a prominent and significant voice of our time. The life course of this remarkable woman would encompass nonnormative and normative life events. A poet Laureate with over 50 honorary degrees whilst never having attended college is a testament to her and her writings. Recipient of numerous literary awards, her various books, poems, songs and films have touched many generations with the promise of still more
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This Nonnormative event is chronicled in her autobiography, I know why the caged bird sings. She was fortunate in that her paternal grandmother, who raised her was a shop owner and had the means, while meager to support her and her beloved brother Bailey. Momma Johnson instilled in her good work ethics and a belief in God and family. Receiving a scholarship that allowed her to study dance and drama in San Francisco also opened up many possibilities for her, such as working the famous cable cars, she has the distinct honor of being the first African American woman to do so. During her High School years, she had a short lived love affair which resulted in her becoming a single mom. Her graduation from school with a child left little choice for her, she had to work many jobs to support herself and her young son. These jobs would encompass legal and illegal activities, all the while following her life course. She went on to tour Europe in an opera production of Porgy and Bess, as well as dance with the likes of Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey. She worked in Egypt as an editor before moving to Ghana where she taught and wrote for two newspapers. In 1950 she married a Greek sailor, mixed marriages were frowned upon during the pre-civil rights era, and the marriage lasted but a few years. However, she continued to use his name in an abbreviated form. The cohort flow throughout her life added to the experiences that shaped her and her writings. The many roles she played such as young southern black girl unsure of herself and awkward to rape survivor to intelligent student to unwed mother and the many experiences and jobs she held shows how people can and do respond to their history and
This Nonnormative event is chronicled in her autobiography, I know why the caged bird sings. She was fortunate in that her paternal grandmother, who raised her was a shop owner and had the means, while meager to support her and her beloved brother Bailey. Momma Johnson instilled in her good work ethics and a belief in God and family. Receiving a scholarship that allowed her to study dance and drama in San Francisco also opened up many possibilities for her, such as working the famous cable cars, she has the distinct honor of being the first African American woman to do so. During her High School years, she had a short lived love affair which resulted in her becoming a single mom. Her graduation from school with a child left little choice for her, she had to work many jobs to support herself and her young son. These jobs would encompass legal and illegal activities, all the while following her life course. She went on to tour Europe in an opera production of Porgy and Bess, as well as dance with the likes of Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey. She worked in Egypt as an editor before moving to Ghana where she taught and wrote for two newspapers. In 1950 she married a Greek sailor, mixed marriages were frowned upon during the pre-civil rights era, and the marriage lasted but a few years. However, she continued to use his name in an abbreviated form. The cohort flow throughout her life added to the experiences that shaped her and her writings. The many roles she played such as young southern black girl unsure of herself and awkward to rape survivor to intelligent student to unwed mother and the many experiences and jobs she held shows how people can and do respond to their history and