For the last forty years of her life, writer/activist Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was a member of Glide Memorial Church, a United Methodist congregation in San Francisco, and supported its many outreach programs. As a child she attended the CME church in Stamps, Arkansas, with her grandmother, as she tell in her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1969.
Dr. Angelou's seventh autobiographical book, Mom & Me & Mon, came out in 2013, and she also wrote numerous volume of poetry and essays as well as plays and screenplays. Her first professional work was as a dancer, including being half of the dance team "Al and Rita" alongside Alvin Ailey. During the Civil Rights Movement she raised funds for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was appointed its northern coordinator by Dr. King, who was assassinated on her fortieth birthday. Also, she met Malcolm X while in Ghana, and worked with him to found the Organization of African-American Unity.
Read about her memorial service at Glade here http://www.beyondchron.org/dr-maya-angelous-life-celebrate…/
