Maya Angelou was an internationally celebrated American poet, novelist and civil rights activist who held the honorific title of “the people’s poet”. Her inspiring life and work touched the lives of many people around the world, and her son, Guy Johnson, was amongst them. He was the only child of Angelou and her husband, the late Tosh Angelos.
Guy was born in 1944, during his parents’ brief marriage. He was raised by Angelou and her long-time partner, Paul du Feu, although Angelou’s career meant that she was often away from home. Angelou was determined to give her son all of the opportunities that she was denied growing up. She worked tirelessly to fund his education, sending him abroad to boarding schools in London and Switzerland.
Despite the distance this caused, Guy was very close to his mother. In a 2019 interview with The New York Times, Guy said of their relationship: “We were extremely close. We spoke every day. We emailed, texted and talked.” In an interview with The Guardian, Guy spoke of her as an “unfailingly warm, commanding and inspirational” presence in his life.
Guy is an accomplished writer in his own right. In 2018, he published a memoir of his mother’s life, entitled “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A Memoir of Maya Angelou”. The memoir offered an intimate look into the life of his mother, providing insights into not only her relationships and work, but her thoughts and feelings as well.
In addition to his literary work, Guy is a successful businessperson. He has held numerous executive positions at various companies, including Atlantic Records and NBC, and served as CEO for the Cheyenne Group, a business development firm. He is currently the Chairman of the Maya Angelou Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors at the Hampton University.
Today, Guy and his wife Diane Johnson live in Georgia with their two daughters, Zoe and Toka. They continue to carry on his mother’s legacy of service and activism, and are dedicated to promoting her work and teachings.
Maya Angelou Father
Maya Angelou’s father is the late Bailey Johnson. Johnson was a navy dietician and professional handyman who worked in the newspaper industry. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in Arkansas. Johnson married Angelou’s mother, Vivian Baxter, in 1931 and the couple had three children together.
Angelou was very close to her father, and has often spoken fondly of him. Angelou has credited her father for developing her love of writing and reading, as he was an avid reader and boasted his own vast collection of books. Johnson also influenced the young Angelou’s performing and artistic talents by taking her to the theatre and cinema to watch films and performances.
Johnson was a passionate and talented musician, and was highly respected in the St. Louis jazz scene. Although their time together was short – Johnson abandoned the family when Angelou was only three – he left an indelible impression on his daughter who, in her autobiography, referred to him as her “proud, handsome daddy”.
Johnson died in 1975, and Angelou was by his side until the very end. She eulogised him in a touching tribute, which was featured in her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, stating “He had been all the father I ever needed”.
Maya Angelou’s Husband
Maya Angelou was briefly married to a Greek sailor and aspiring musician named Tosh Angelos in 1941. The two were married for two weeks before Angelos said he wanted out of the marriage. Angelou was devastated by her husband’s abandonment and it has been theorised that this experience of betrayal had a major impact on her outlook and sense of relationships and trust.
Despite their brief time together, Angelou has spoken affectionately of her former husband in various interviews. She has said that the marriage solidified her sense of independence, as she moved to Los Angeles after their break-up to pursue a career in dance.
In 1951, Angelou wed an English carpenter and civil rights activist named Paul du Feu. The two met while Angelou was living in London, and their relationship lasted a further 20 years, until their divorce in 1971. The two never had any children together, although du Feu was considered a father figure to Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson.
In 1981 Angelou became briefly engaged to the African-American journalist, brought up Roman Catholic and human rights activist Vus Make. The two had known each other since the 1950s and Angelou has said that the two were in love but decided it would be inappropriate to get married.
Maya Angelou’s Education
Maya Angelou was an advocate for education and had a strong passion for reading and writing. She was expelled from her school aged fourteen, after becoming pregnant with her son, and quipped “I had had my education by then”.
Later in life, Angelou attended the University of Arkansas and studied theatre. She went on to work as a touring member of the American Negro Theatre and studied dance with Martha Graham in New York. Despite her lack of formal education, Angelou was highly honoured for her contributions to the arts, receiving over fifty honorary degrees from universities throughout the world.
Angelou was dedicated to educating her son, Guy Johnson, and ensuring that he got the best of opportunities. She sent him to the prestigious L.E. Schwartz & Sons boarding school in London and he later attended the University of Wyoming. Johnson is an accomplished writer and businessperson today, and has spoken of his mother’s profound influence in his life, crediting her for his educational achievements.
Tributes to Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou received numerous tributes from peers and admirers throughout her life. As a tribute to her contributions to literature and the civil rights movement, Angelou’s portrait was stamped onto a Forever postage stamp in the “Great Americans” series in April 2014. This made Ms. Angelou the first African American women to be featured on a US postage stamp.
In addition, Angelou was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times, and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards established an annul award in her honour in 2008. The award recognizes works of literature that contribute to racial understanding, and is funded by the Cleveland Foundation.
A civil rights trail was established in Angelou’s honour in 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders. The trail included many sites that were either visited by Angelou or inspired by her work, such as the home of Coretta Scott King, the Million Man March and the Apollo Theatre.
Following Maya Angelou’s death in 2014, President Obama described her as “one of the brightest lights of our time”. He said that Angelou was “a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman”, and declared May 23rd, 2014 “Maya Angelou Day” in honour of her life and work.
What Did Maya Angelou Do
Maya Angelou was an immensely gifted and accomplished individual with a remarkable history of achievement. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou was an internationally celebrated American poet, novelist, scholar, singer and civil rights activist who held the honourific title of “the people’s poet.”
An acclaimed writer, Angelou’s works include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together In My Name and The Heart of a Woman. She was the first African American woman to write a nonfiction bestseller and recieved numerous awards and a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her body of work.
An accomplished singer and performer, Angelou released five studio albums, won a Grammy Award and toured throughout the world. She worked as a professor at various colleges, including Wake Forest University and the University of Ghana and served in various positions in the Clinton administration.
Throughout her lifetime, Angelou was an outspoken civil rights advocate, participating in Martin Luther King Jr.’s Selma to Montgomery marches, the March on Washington, and the Million Man March. She founded the Organisation of Woman Writers of Africa, and produced several programmes for New York City’s PBS television station.
Angelou was raised on the concept of universal brotherhood. She said that her “primary work is to speak to the human family”, and focused on inspiring others by highlighting the connections that exist between all people regardless of colour, culture or creed.
Maya Angelou Legacy
Maya Angelou’s legacy lives on in the many words she spoke and wrote, the causes she championed and the trails she blazed. Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson, is dedicated to preserving and honouring her powerful message and achievements. Johnson holds the position of Chairman of the Maya Angelou Foundation, through which he has continued his mother’s work.
The organisation focuses on Angelou’s six core values: courage, compassion, forgiveness, honesty, respect, and love. Founded in 1998, the organisation works towards increasing the development opportunities available to those living in underserved and overlooked communities, and gives scholarships to aspiring students.
The foundation also hosts an annual awards ceremony, “Woman Still Rising”, to honour successful and socially important women of African descent. It regularly holds special events, such as art exhibitions, plays and musical performances to spread Angelou’s message of respect and acceptance, and has established a permanent memorial in her hometown of San Francisco.
Angelou’s legacy lives on through her words and through the people she has touched around the world. Despite her passing in 2014, Angelou still resonates in a modern cultural context and her work continues to inspire and empower generations of people.
