With her sultry voice as distinct as her life as her poetry as her courage, Maya Angelou gave voice to her life and to millions of others’ lives. She wrote her way through healing and ascended to a level of profound accomplishment – and humility.

Maya Angelou died on Wednesday at her North Carolina home. She was 86.

Her book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” published in 1969, told her story of abandonment, violence, homelessness and teen motherhood. Any one of these events easily could destroy one’s sense of hope. Somehow Maya Angelou found her soul and voice amid the tragedy. She refused to remain caged.

Few people live with such grace, talent and raw courage. Maya Angelou’s voice will never be silenced. Her legacy inspires us to bear witness to the truth, to tell our stories and transform our world with a powerful weapon: our words.

(S-R archive photo: President Barack Obama kisses author and poet Maya Angelou after awarding her the 2010 Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Feb. 15, 2011.)

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