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Maya the poet, the author, the play-write, actress, mother, civil rights activist, historian, director, producer; Maya the Genius. Maya Angelou is the ultimate Renaissance woman and is one of the great voices of contemporary literature (mayaangelou.com). She is also one of the most influential African-Americans in American history. Through my research and readings about Maya I have come to the conclusion that she is an American genius. Maya has beaten the odds and become one of the most well known African American women of today. Maya was born April 4th 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her birth name is Marguerite Johnson, and it wasn’t until her early twenties that she was given the name Maya Angelou. Maya was born to Bailey, a naval dietician, and Vivian Johnson, a nurse. She also had a brother named Bailey, after their father. Maya and Bailey were raised in a rural segregated community in Stamps, Arkansas by their grandmother and uncle. Maya’s grandmother was a very strict woman, and wanted to make sure that Maya and Bailey grew up to be the best they could. During the time that Maya was growing up, America was just recovering from the Great Depression and it was also a time when African Americans were oppressed. Despite th