Maya Angelou died Wednesday at age 86 after a lifetime of literary trailblazing and achievement. In 1969, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings brought her international recognition for life in the Jim Crow South. From there her career only grew, becoming America's premiere poet and author of the late 20th century. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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Angelou began her career as a dancer and writer. Here she is dressed for her part in the Caribbean Calypso Festival in 1957.
Angelou was hired as Hollywood's first black woman movie director in 1971. She wrote the script and music, and directed the film adaptation of Caged Bird.
AP
Angelou and Gloria Steinem on their way to the March on Washington on August 27, 1983 in Washington, D.C.
Angelou reciting her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton on January, 20 1993.
Coretta Scott King (L), widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and Angelou speak to members of the media in 1997 after visiting Betty Shabazz, the widow of slain civil rights activist Malcom X, at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, New York.
Angelou appears on Sesame Street with Herry Monster in 1999.
Richard Termine/Sesame Workshop
Angelou speaks during the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, July 27, 2004.
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Angelou speaks at funeral services for Coretta Scott King as George W. Bush and his wife Laura listen at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, February 7, 2006.
Jason Reed/Reuters
Hillary Rodham Clinton holds the hand of Angelou during a conversation in front of an audience at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina during a campaign stop on April 18, 2008.
Desmond Tutu kisses the hand of Angelou during a ceremony to honor Tutu with the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding Award in Washington, November 21, 2008.
President Obama kisses Angelou after presenting to her the Medal of Freedom on Feburary 15, 2011 at the White House. The Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor and is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
Angelou and Oprah Winfrey share laughs during a star-studded double-taping of "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular" on May 17, 2011 in Chicago.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
