WS Chronicle

The iconic words of Maya Angelou blared through the speakers at Bailey Park last Sunday afternoon as dozens of people came together to celebrate Angelou’s birthday and legacy.

Angelou, a St. Louis, Missouri, native, was a poet, author and civil rights activist. She served on two different presidential committees for Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. She became only the second poet in history to read a poem during a presidential inauguration when Bill Clinton was sworn in in 1993. In 1977 she received an honorary degree from Wake Forest University (WFU) and in 1982 she moved to Winston-Salem after she was named WFU’s first Reynolds Professor of American Studies. Angelou continued to call Winston-Salem home until her death in 2014.

Since 2018 students from Wake Forest University have invited the community to come and celebrate Angelou in early April with the Maya Angelou Garden Party. Due to the pandemic, the garden party was canceled the past two years, but the event returned last weekend.

During the event, students from WFU and local high schools, as well as individuals from throughout the community, took to the stage to perform poetry and spoken word pieces to honor Angelou’s contributions to the arts. The event also included lawn games, music, and free food.

WFU senior Malik McFarland served as the MC during the garden party. McFarland, who is a chemistry major, said he wanted the event to give the community a chance to look back on Angelou’s legacy, while also taking a closer look at their own.

“Over the next 90 minutes, I hope you’re able to get a sense of her legacy and take an opportunity to think about yours,” McFarland told the crowd.

After performing one of Angelou’s most noteworthy poems, Gwen Straker said when she heard about the garden party, she jumped at the opportunity to perform. Streater, who attends West Forsyth High School and is a member of Authoring Action, said Angelou’s work has inspired her to write and one day she hopes to leave a legacy that inspires others as well.

“I like how you can express yourself … I really enjoy putting everything in my mind on paper,” Streater continued. “And being able to see the work of someone like Maya Angelou who’s African American and a woman who made such an impact on the world is so inspirational and I would love to leave a legacy like she did.”