What Maya Angelou Taught Me About Being a Woman

by: Lanisha Porter

97% of the time I am happy God chose me to be a woman. However, sometimes there is that 3% that regrets that I am all because of the pains that come with it. Pains that will forever be unbeknown to men. Beneath the glamour, glitter, and pizzazz of being a woman are very rigid and demanding, yet divine, responsibilities all women must inherit that are antecedent to choice. We learn to squander heartbreaks and act as though we are okay; we learn to render love and forgiveness repeatedly on the whim of grace, we sacrifice our own welfare for the security of others, we surrender our temples so that life may manifest inside, and yet and still...the world only reduces us to only being functional insofar as ornaments or canals to fleeting passions.

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In all of our God-given power, there are men who still fail to see how powerful we are just because our powers look different. It's easy to get discouraged as a woman but it is Maya Angelou and her endearing words that have made me FEEL like being a woman is always worth celebrating and embracing. I still the remember the first time I read “Phenomenal Woman” by her. I remember thinking, “wow, how lucky am I that I get to belong to this group who possesses these special powers?” I can also recall how I felt after reading “Still I Rise” and feeling like I indeed had oil wells pumping in my living room. Her work gave women an anthem, and it made me feel proud of all the things we are sometimes tempted to regret. I wish she was still here to give the world more but she has, without a doubt, left enough to comfort us in the absence of her brilliance. Thank you Mama Angelou.