Actress, Singer, Dancer, Writer, Activist, Mother and Poet, Maya Angelou spent her entire life rising above the odds to become one of America's most beloved living treasures of American history.
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise gives a rare glimpse to the world of Angelou that has rarely been seen through the eyes of close friends and her only son.
I became hip to Maya Angelou as an undergraduate student of Howard University. Like many, the first book of hers I ever read was "I Know Why The Caged-Bird Sings". Having been a rape survivor, I could relate to the shame, humiliation and secrecy one vows to never have the truth hit the light of day. That book, to this day is one of my all time favorites. Not because of its genius prose, but because it helped me through one of the most difficult chapters of my youthful life.
As with so many public figures and celebrities, we often feel as though we know them because they invade her homes through a television or movie screen. But, what do we really know except for the image that is carefully crafted for us to see.
We don't know the heartbreak of never having a lifetime love. We don't know how isolating and lonely it is to be a strong, intelligent, independent black woman. We don't know what it is to balance love for a parent, even when that parent treats you as if you have rocks for a brain. These are the Maya Angelou private images that we would never know...until now.
We would never know just how many people spanning generations that her words, spirit and energy inspired, touched and uplifted to be more than even they thought they could be in this lifetime. We also would never know, until now, that she hurt, had pain and personal turmoil in places that no one could ever reach.
Who knew she was originally my homegirl from St. Louis or that was known as Miss Calypso or that she was in the touring company of "Porgy and Bess" or that she had aspired to understudy the late, great Pearl Bailey? It's all those stories and more that make you wish with each word that her booming voice and presence were still here to give a speech just one last time.
Thanks to Rita Coburn Whack and Bob Hercules, we will forever have an archive of the deep, beautiful tones that could only inhabit Maya Angelou. Her love for life, art and humanity superseded most prejudices. She never backed down from what she believed in and was touched by some of our most prolific African-Americans like James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and so many more that we, as a culture, have loved and lost.
The film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. It won the Audience Award at AFI Docs and was featured at notable fests worldwide including Full Frame, Sheffield Docs, Boulder Film Fest, and Riverrun, winning 9 awards on 3 continents.
Today, American Masters launches a year-long online campaign, #InspiringWomanPBS, based on themes central to Dr. Angelou’s life: artistic expression, academic success, active community engagement and acceptance of difference. People can share stories of inspirational women in their own lives via text, images or videos on the American Masters website (http://pbs.org/americanmasters) or via Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #InspiringWomanPBS.
A video compilation series of the best submissions will be featured on PBS’ Instagram Stories and Snapchat channels throughout the year. Additionally, previously unreleased videos from Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise and In Their Own Words: The American Masters Digital Archive will be released as part of the campaign, as well as new episodes of the American Masters Podcast.
WNET Education will work with local PBS stations and local arts organizations across the country to engage diverse audiences in the campaign through a series of free, community-based screening events. They will also create educational resources based on the film for PBS LearningMedia. Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, #InspiringWomanPBS is the latest example of American Masters and WNET’s commitment to educate and entertain audiences beyond broadcast.
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise premiered to critical acclaim at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. It won the Audience Award at AFI Docs and was featured at notable film festivals worldwide, including Full Frame, Sheffield, IDFA and Seattle, winning 17 awards on three continents, and has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award.