Black Fact of the Week: Maya Angelou Is the First Black Woman to Pen the Screenplay for a Feature Film

The late, great and brilliant Maya Angelou wore many hats throughout her 86-year lifespan; from poet, author and professor, to director, musician, and civil rights activist. She’s recognized for poignant works such as her debut autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and world-renowned poems like “Still I Rise.” But a little known fact about this multi-faceted social pillar is that, in 1972, she became the first Black woman to write the script for a feature film with the Swedish-American drama Georgia, Georgia.

The movie, which stars actress Diana Sands, was entered into the 23^rd Berlin International Film Festival and earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination. And guess what? Ms. Angelou also scored the film’s soundtrack. Talk about a phenomenal woman.

#RIPQueen

Source: Indiewire; The New York Times; Academy of Achievement