Julia alvarez was born on march 27,1950 in new york ,an island nation located in the Caribbean Sea. When she was just three months old, the Alvarez family returned to their homeland, where they lived on her mother's family compound. The family enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle since Alvarez's grandparents were rather wealthy and quite influential. Alvarez's homecoming was not what she had expected it to be. Although she was thrilled to be back in America, she would soon face homesickness and the feeling of not fitting in.…
The struggles in her life shaped her into the loved and remembered artist she is today. Born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón, Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, in the village of Coyoaćan just outside of Mexico City. She was born to a German immigrant father and a mother of indigenous and Spanish descent. Kahlo grew up in La Casa Azul (The Blue House) with her younger siblings.…
She was a very strong leader who went against all odds at her time. I am proud that at one time she had been a big part of our nation. The reason I chose Shirley Chisholm is because she was a very powerful lady who always spoke her mind. Who is your most influential African American…
A hero is not someone that saves the world in matter of seconds, or has a non human superpower like the ability to fly or be invisible. A true hero is someone that does something without expecting anything in return, always being kind, genuine and stands for what they believe in no matter the circumstance. Maya Angelou is looked as a hero around not only America but the whole world for being a poet, activist, and going from nothing to something and using that experience to help many people. Maya Angelou believed that by her poetic skills she could change the world and the people. As seen in the Great Black Heroes website Angelou talks about how traveling had a great impact on her writing/poetic skills.…
40 years ago, American government went from celebrating influential African Americans for only a week to a full month. This became the start of Black History Month. In the month of February, Americans celebrate and remember black heroes around the United States. They commemorate the efforts and accomplishments that were made to alleviate discrimination towards African Americans in order for us to have a chance at becoming successful and living the “American Dream” in peace. Though Americans still exemplify discrimination today, vicious crimes are not as detrimental as they used to be.…
The orate by the erudite American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist Dr. Maya Angelou, at the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, given in an ode style encompassed an Enlightment on Discrimination theme with the aid of exploitation of repetition, rhythm, tone, imagery, and symbolism. In the opening of the speech, Angelou thanked the crowd 15 times. The speech starts with, Thank you”, then moved to “I thank you.” Often throughout the speech she stops and sings the hook of ‘Let It Shine.…
She was always ambitious and dedicated to her dreams from a very young age. She was born August 11,…
Day was born to be a star with all of her many talents, however, Doris Day had a lasting plan for her name and legacy by encouraging women across the country. Many knew her from her hit songs and enjoyable films. Day was born on April 3, 1924, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Day suffered a severe leg injury from a car accident at a young age, ending her dance career. While recovering from her injuries, she found that she had an amazing voice that was ready to record hundreds of chart-topping song.…
My influential African American I chose to write about is Al Green. Al Green is known for his hit song “ Let’s Stay Together”, and for leaving his musical career at its height in the 1970s to become a reverend at his own church. Al Green was born Albert Greene on April 13,1946, in Dansby, a small town down the road from Forrest City Arkansas. He began performing at a young age, singing gospel music with his family as part of the Greene Brothers After being kicked out of the family home for listening to the secular music of Jackie Wilson, Green started a group called the Creations, which later became Al Greene and the Soul Mates. The Soul Mates had one hit,”Back Up Train”, which brought them to a successful appearance at New York City’s…
From Martin Luther King Jr. to Beyoncé there are a plethora of inspirational African-Americans. If I were to have lunch with an African-American of my choosing it would be Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart is very inspirational to me because he knows how to be himself. Kevin's humor can light up a room in seconds. I find it very motivational how he never fails to have a smile on his face.…
Her father was Bailey Johnson who was a doorman and her mother was Vivian (Baxter) Johnson who was a nurse. Maya got older and finished high school and went to college at California Labor School. Also that she was a dancer. She was married to Tosh Angelos from 1950-1952. Then she got remarried to Paul De Feu from 1973-1980.…
Maya's mom's name is Kathryn Moore. Maya was raised by just her mom. Her nickname as a kid was Maya the bee because there was a cartoon character named Maya the bee. Some of Maya's interests are art and reading.…
Growing up as an African American in 1903 would be difficult, but Annie Johnson seems to keep her balance and her morals. In the story “New Directions” by Maya Angelou, Annie Johnson is a single mother with two kids, who starts a new life for herself after she and her husband split amicably. Annie Johnson is a very hardworking, dedicated, and sacrificial woman. Annie Johnson shows these traits and this shows that she is a person who values morals. Annie Johnson is a very hardworking woman.…
Lynching kept blacks from straying from the white’s social norms, while also forcing them to look down on themselves as an inferior type of person. How a black addresses a white, substantially demonstrates how. A person’s name or how they are acknowledged is a main part of their identity. A black’s expected etiquette in confronting a white person involves formally regarding the person with Mr., Mrs., Miss, sir, or ma’am to show respect, while the white person is allowed to use the blacks first name. Evident in Angelou’s biography, she explains her feeling of helplessness in preventing the humiliation in times when “white children… call her grandmother by her first name [and]… her grandmother address [them]… ‘Miz”’ (32).…
“Home is where the heart is” a known motto said by many but can have different meanings. Home is symbolized as the one safe haven many people turn back to and have the most affection for. In the poems “Africa” by Maya Angelou and “A Far Cry from Africa” by Derek Walcott both show significant importance of how their home is for them. In both poems Africa is the main theme based in each of the author’s viewpoints Africa is expressed in its actions instead of a being harmonious and a place to return to, almost breaking the image of home but instead giving you a story of how “home” really is.…