Serena Williams won her 7th Wimbledon title over the weekend, and no words epitomize her triumph better than Maya Angelou's iconic poem "Still I Rise."
The BBC aired a video of Williams reciting the Angelou's words shortly after she secured the ladies' singles trophy.
The video contains footage of the No. 1 ranked Williams at varying points in her career at the All England Club. She's shown frustrated, in motion, and triumphant.
With this win, the Compton-native tied Steffi Graf's record for 22 Grand Slam titles.
34 year-old Williams has been counted out throughout her career. Detractors have said she's out of shape and washed up. But 17 years after winning her first major tournament, she's still dominating. Williams is currently the highest paid female athlete in the world.
"Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise" chronicles the famed author's remarkable beyond her time as a respected poet and essayist. Directed by Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack, the documentary explores her rise to prominence.
In a new clip from the film, Actress Diahann Carroll recalls going to see Angelou perform in the late 50s. Angelou was a gifted performer then known as Miss Calypso. She released an album of the same name in 1957.
Shots of Angelou singing and dancing in barefeet are shown between interviews with Carroll and Don Martin, who danced with her.
These moments are so important to see. They remind us of Mother Maya's humanity. While she will be remembered forever for her literary feats, she lived a full and diverse life.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and is not yet slated for wide release. But if you're in Washington, DC. You can catch a screening at the AFI Docs Film Festival from June 22-26.
In case you didn't know, Nicki Minaj is an actress. Her talent for the theatrical shows itself often in her music and stage personas, and the Queens-native has made a couple oflow key film appearances.
For the past four years, filmmakers Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack have been working on the first ever documentary on the life of Dr. Maya Angelou. They have started a kickstarter campaign to raise money to cover the cost of finishing this project to be broadcasted on PBS in 2016.
The end of May through June is always a wonderful time, as it's when many Black folks graduate with high school diplomas, as well with undergraduate and advanced degrees. It's always great to see our people pursuing their dreams and achieving greatness.
The significance and power of Dr. Maya Angelou’s words never cease to amaze any of us, and now with the help of Director Napoleon and Choreographer Tabitha Dumo her words have been physically manifested.
Today an array of public figures, family, and friends came together to celebrate the life of Dr. Maya Angelou at Wake Forest University. Speakers included President Bill Clinton, Cicely Tyson, Oprah Winfrey, First Lady Michelle Obama, and her son Guy Johnson.
On last week's episode of Melissa Harris-Perry, the scholar paid tribute to Maya Angelou. Dr. Harris-Perry remembered her former teacher as a phenomenal woman who stood tall among her contemporaries and never bowed.
While she walked the earth, Maya Angelou was a force not simply because of her extraordinary talent but because of ther refusal to deny the parts of herself that were meant to bring her shame. Dr. Angelou touched countless men and women with her honesty. That is a model that we can all embrace, and that is the legacy she leaves behind.
In this short interview clip, she explains the liberatory power of owning your past.
by Michelle Denise Jackson
