Maya Angelou had a son, Guy Johnson, who was born in November 1955. Guy’s age is estimated to be 65 years old, making him 10 years younger than his world-famous mom and literary genius. He is a published poet and novelist, and an accomplished civil rights and philanthropic advocate. As a child, Guy attended prestigious schools and spent his childhood as a part of his mother’s close circle of notable personalities.
Guy is the product of a love affair between his mother and Tosh Angelos, a Greek sailor who was a part of his mom’s “wishful-thinking love group” during her years of globe-trotting as a singer. On Guy’s father’s side, he is of Greek, Cherokee, and African American descent.
For the first five years of his life, Guy and his twin sister, who passed away when she was a toddler, were raised by his paternal grandmother in California while his mom was in Europe. Son and mother were reunited when Maya returned home in 1960 and moved them to Arkansas.
Young Guy received a thorough education, supplementing the traditional American education with his mother’s tutoring on themes and topics ranging from African history to religion and mythology. Guy is an avid tennis player and was a tennis pro before turning his attention to writing political speeches for Congressman John Conyers and Coretta Scott King.
Living up to his mother’s standards and her enormous literary legacy, Guy is a successful published poet and novelist, writing the 2007 “Genesis” and “In the blink of God’s Eye”. He also wrote the 2010 “A Song Flung Up To Heaven” and “Black Butterfly”, as well as the non-fiction book, “What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man`.
Through his charity, the Guy Johnson Outreach Program, Guy provides jobs and outreach initiatives to the African American youth of San Francisco. His passion is eradicating systemic issues plaguing underprivileged teens and providing them with opportunities to change the course of their future.
Guy has also written plays and poetry, including a one-person show, “Common Threads,” performed in Bay Area in 2018. Guy currently works as a civil rights and philanthropic advocate in San Francisco and serves on the board of directors of the Maya Angelou Foundation.
Guy Johnson Career
Maya Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson, is a successful published poet and novelist, writing the 2007 “Genesis” and “In the blink of God’s Eye”. He also wrote the 2010 “A Song Flung Up To Heaven” and “Black Butterfly”, as well as the non-fiction book, “What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man`.
Before dedicating himself to writing, Guy was a tennis pro. However, he also accepted positions in both the public and private sector. He wrote political speeches for Congressman John Conyers and Coretta Scott King and has worked as a civil rights and philanthropic advocate in San Francisco.
Guy Johnson’s passion lies in eradicating systemic issues plaguing underprivileged teens and providing them with opportunities to change the course of their future. To this end, he has established the charity Guy Johnson Outreach Program. Through this nonprofit, he provides jobs and outreach initiatives to the African American youth of San Francisco.
Moreover, Guy Johnson has written plays and poetry, including a one-person show, “Common Threads,” which was performed in the Bay Area in 2018. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Maya Angelou Foundation.
Guy Johnson Education
Guy Johnson spent his childhood as a part of his mother’s close circle of notable personalities and attended prestigious schools, beginning with his mother’s tutoring. Maya Angelou supplemented her son’s traditional American education with her own tutoring on themes and topics ranging from African history to religion and mythology.
Moreover, Maya Angelou moved Guy and his twin sister to Arkansas, where he lived for five years. Sadly, Guy’s twin sister passed away when she was a toddler and he was already five years old. Despite this, Maya was determined to give Guy a better and more privileged upbringing.
For this reason, Guy attended California State University, East Bay, where he majored in political science. He also attended the University of Washington and majored in organizational communications and public policy. In addition, he obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public policy from Regent’s University in London.
Guy Johnson Personal Life
Guy Johnson is the son of Maya Angelou and Tosh Angelos, a Greek sailor who was a part of his mom’s “wishful-thinking love group” during her years of globe-trotting as a singer. Guy was born in November 1955 and is estimated to be 65 years old, making him 10 years younger than his world-famous mom and literary genius.
On Guy’s father’s side, he is of Greek, Cherokee and African American descent, making him a product of an interracial relationship that made a difference not only in his life but for many others.
He has been married twice. His first wife, Eunice Johnson was an editor of Ebony magazine; after their divorce, he married Pat Asekoff and with her founded the E & P John Foundation, dedicated to supporting and creating opportunities for African American writers.
Guy Johnson’s Accomplishments
Guy Johnson did not only benefit from Maya Angelou’s upbringing but also left his footprints in the literary world. Throughout his career and life, he has achieved impressive accolades.
As a child, he attended prestigious schools and was raised by both his mother and his grandmother, who also cared for him until his mother could come back home.
His accomplishments range from writing the books: Genesis and Black Butterfly to performing plays and one-person shows. In addition, he founded the Guy Johnson Outreach Program, a charity that provides jobs and outreach initiatives to underprivileged African American youth in San Francisco.
He is also an accomplished civil rights and philanthropic advocate and serves on the board of directors of the Maya Angelou Foundation.
Guy Johnson Awards
Guy Johnson was the recipient of the 2006 Award of Excellence from the San Francisco Foundation for his work with the African American community and was the inaugural recipient of its Sara Lilienfeld Prize for Civil and Humanitarian Leadership.
In 2007, he was the recipient of the Bulldog Award from the California State Assembly for his “outstanding examples of technical and scientific accomplishment with demonstrated leadership” in his scholarly work.
In addition, Guy was the first African American recipient of the Commitment to Service Award from Stanford University in 2009. He was also the co-recipient of the 2009 Peace and Social Justice Award from the Pax Christi Award.
