A Ceferation of'Rising "Joy"!
DR. MAYA ANGELOU
APRIL 4, 1928 - MAY 28, 2014

d hnow wfiat the caged birdfeels, afas! When the sun is bright on the up hand shapes;
When the wind stirs soft through the syringing grass, find the riverflows file a stream ofglass;
When thefirst bird sings and thefirst bud opes, (And thefaint
perfumefrom its chalice steals -- d know what the caged birdfeels!
d know why the caged bird beats his wing
Tiff its blood is red on the cruel bars;
Tor he mustfly bach to hisperch and cling When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
(And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars (And they pulse again with a keener sting -- d know why he beats his wing!
d know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, --
When he beats his bars and he would be free; dt is not a carol of joy or glee,
(But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core, (But a plea, that
upward to dieaven heflings -- d know why the caged birdsings!
- TaulLaurence (Dunbar Writer, 1899

$

Doctor Maya Angelou was born to Vivian Baxter and Bailey Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. She passed to her Heavenly Reward quietly on May 28, 2014 in her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is survived by her son, daughter-in-law, two grandsons and two great-grandchildren, a nephew, a niece, grandnieces, great-grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnephews and a host of beloveds.
From the time she was a child, Dr. Angelou proved that she was a unique individual with amazing commitment and focus.. The birth of her son when she was seventeen did not prevent her from continuing in pursuit of her dreams for a creative career. From her start as a singer in San Franciscos Purple Onion and the Hungry I in 1953, to the installation of her portrait in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. In 2014; she was continuously on a dramatic, musical or political stage.
Dr. Maya Angelou was a dancer, a singer, an actress, a poet, a writer, a magazine editor, a playwright, a film director as well as a college lecturer, full Professor and a fearless, outspoken activist. She never let her various vocations inhibit her activism or her willingness to speak out against injustice and inequality. She performed in a number of major productions. She was in both the 1954 International Touring Company and the subsequent movie of Porgy and Bess. She was also in the 1977 television series of Alex Haleys `Roots' and in the 1995 film `How to make an American Quilt.' There are too many other productions to name. She directed the films `Georgia, Georgia and `Down in the Delta.'
Dr. Maya Angelou's first book `I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' was published in 1970. She went on to write thirty-six other books including autobiographies, poetry and essays. A number of Dr. Angelou's works were best sellers and were published in a number of languages.
Throughout her life Dr. Angelou's activism never flagged or waned. In 1959, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, she headed the New York office of Dr. Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1959. Next, she worked for the Arab Observer News Magazine in Cairo, Egypt which was the premiere English language magazine in the Middle East. Later she moved to Ghana and met Malcolm X. She returned to the United States to work for him, but he was assassinated four days after her arrival in New York. She continued to be a voice of humanity, speaking out against anything that fettered the human spirit. Her life and her body of literary work trumpet the importance of love, tolerance and forgiveness. She was a warrior for truth, justice and love.

"Tve (earned that y eoy(e will forget what you saidyeoyfe wiCC forget what you did, butyeoyfe wiff neverforget how you made themfeef}}
T)r. Maya fluye Con

erwm
Officiating Dr. Serenus T. Churn, Sr.
Senior Pastor Mount Zion Baptist Church Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Prelude Processional Welcome
Call to Worship

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Ensemble The Family of Dr. Maya Angelou Mr. Elliott Matthew Jones Grandson Dr. Serenus T. Churn, Sr.

The Holy Scriptures New Testament

John 14: 1-6, 27

Reflection

Opening Song Official Tribute

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Musical Tribute Reflection

I Hope You Dance Written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers

Ambassador Andrew Young Ms. Cicely Tyson Actress
Dr. Bobby Jones Bobby Jones Gospel Choir
The Honorable Bill Clinton 42nd President of the United States
Ms. Lee Ann Womack Performing Artist
Dr. Edwin Wilson Provost Emeritus, Wake Forest University

Musical Tribute Reflection Musical Tribute Official Tribute Eulogy Personal Tribute Musical Tribute Closing Tribute Recessional

God Put a Rainbow in the Clouds

Ms. Alyson Williams Performing Artist
Ms. Oprah Winfrey

Stand Written by Donnie McClurkin

Mr. Bebe Winans & Choir
Mrs. Michelle Obama First Lady of the United States

Dr. Serenus T. Churn, Sr.

Mr. Guy Bailey Johnson, Son Mr. Brandon Bailey Johnson Great Grandson

Remember Me Written by Ashford and Simpson

Mrs. Valerie Ashford Simpson Performing Artist, Family Member

Mr. Colin Ashanti Johnson, Grandson

Been Found

1996 Recording, Dr. Maya Angelou with Ashford and Simpson

Maya Angelou by Ross Rossin, 2013, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Andrew J. Young Foundation.

T'fie Last Oasis
For my grandmother Vivian Baxter and my mother Maya Angelou
Red sandstone massifs stand windward above a strip of sheltering green that cleaves
the mauve bedrock of the barren desert where the silted, still, sweet water surfaces.
The sun is a platinum disk reflecting the images of hell on the unending dunes. Shimmering bodies made of sand undulate across the parched skyline like old memories.
The traveler, skin wrinkled, eyes opaque listens to the wind calling from the dunes
and stares out on the torrid sands at visions of destiny we cannot see.
In the shadows of date palms and twisted acacia we stand and wait for the chill of nightfall. The doctors flash utensils designed to distract wayfarers from their destinations.
At twilight we gather by the travelers smoldering fire and in its flickering light, kneel to whisper of memories reawakened,
and the tales of unrepentant thirst.

The traveler has had the gift of audience by blood and beloved; she has drunk deeply from sweet water that rises from sandstone beds. This moment has been a creation of the heart.
The fire that once flared, spreading warmth in our lives is now but a dying ember; it matters not
how we fan it, there is a growing darkness. Already there is a deeper chill in the air.
The landscape is defined and exaggerated by the surreal light of a swollen moon.
A lonesome butte casts a long dark shadow across the Gate leading into desolation.
The guide, a silhouetted, faceless presence is impatient for the dry winds of the waste,
but the traveler cannot let loose the hold; the mind seeks to reconcile with the Gods.
But where the wind-blown desert meets the stars all holds are loosened, for we are all travelers returning to that whence we have come, back into the sands beyond this, the last oasis.
Guy Johnson May 1991

PAT McCRORY
GOVERNOR
IN MEMORY OF MAYA ANGELOU 2014
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished residents, Dr. Maya Angelou, who passed away in Winston-Salem on May 28, 2014; and
WHEREAS, Marguerite Annie Johnson was bom April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri; she spent most of her formative years in Arkansas, where she and her older brother were raised by their grandmother, but also spent time in California with her mother; she was nicknamed Maya by her brother; and
WHEREAS, at the age of eight, Angelou was sexually assaulted by a boyfriend of her mother, who was convicted, sentenced to one day in jail and killed four days after his release; this horrific experience silenced Angelou for five years; it was also the impetus for her finding her voice in literature, social action and performance; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Maya Angelou was a poet, civil rights activist, dancer, film and television producer, playwright, actress and professor; she may be best known for her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography of her childhood; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Maya Angelou was a "Phenomenal" woman who touched many individuals through her writing, performance and teaching; she leaves a legacy of hope, determination and belief in oneself and abilities despite circumstance; and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina recognizes Dr. Maya Angelou as a great North Carolinian and leader of our state;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PAT McCRORY, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim June 7, 2014, in memory and in honor of "MAYA ANGELOU" in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this third day of June in the year of our Lord two thousand and
PAT McCROR' Governor

Tfefamily of (Dr. (Maya (Ange fou woufd life to express our deepest gratitude to Wade (Forest `University for the
care and supportprovided during this diffcuft time.
Ojuy (Baifey Johnson Stephanie (FCoyd-Johnson
Co fin Ashanti Johnson (Effiott (Matthew Jones Cayfin (icofe Johnson (Brandon (Baifey Johnson
(Jrandma Omi (Rosa Johnson (Ross Johnson (Damien Johnson (Rosa Suzette Shiefds Ofivia Angeles (hielena C. e(Roy Afvin (Fulcher LaTasha (Payne
(Dori Cofly