Melanie Lawson reflects on Maya Angelou's life
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's difficult to absorb now for many Houstonians, but Dr. Maya Angelou was due to be here in Houston tomorrow for this year's Major League Baseball's Civil Rights Awards. In fact, she was one of the honorees to be lauded for their roles during the civil rights era.
While many of us know her as a poet and author, a performer and philosopher and so many more things, she was also very involved in the civil rights movement and a good friend to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during those days. When Angelou notified the MLB a few days ago that she would not be able to make it because of health reasons, she taped a message to be played at the luncheon.
Meanwhile, tributes to Dr. Angelou continue to pour in, President Obama issued a statement, which says in part:
"Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time - a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman."
Both President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton have also released statements marking her passing. You may remember that she delivered a poem at President Clinton's first inauguration that she wrote especially for that occasion, only the second poet ever to receive such an honor. Below is video of that incredibly moving reading on that cold January day in 1993 in the nation's capital.
But perhaps the most heartfelt tribute comes from Oprah Winfrey, who considered Angelou to be a mentor, friend and "mother-sister," truly a surrogate mother. Oprah has told friends that she has been devastated by her passing.
We were truly privileged to visit Maya Angelou at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 2006, a place few reporters were allowed. And it was a sanctuary of such warmth and beauty, truly reflecting the person so many of us saw publicly. What struck me most was the marriage of fine art and magnificent gardens -- best exemplified in her backyard, which was filled with sculptures and flowering bushes.
You can read more of Melanie's memories with Angelou below:
