At age seven, Maya Angelou experienced devastating trauma that left her silent for nearly five years. During that silence, she absorbed language, literature, and life—emerging decades later as a poet, activist, and cultural icon. Author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., recited at President Clinton's inauguration, and won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her words—like "Still I Rise"—became anthems of resilience. She didn't just survive; she t