Oprah Winfrey pictured at the 2023 AFI Fest on Oct 27, 2023; Maya Angelou at the Special Recognition Event for Dr. Maya Angelou on June 21, 2010.Photo:Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic, Ken Charnock/Getty
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic, Ken Charnock/Getty
Speaking at the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner in New York City on Wednesday, Winfrey, 69, gave a speech and mentioned how Angelou’s 1969 book,I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,helped her give “words to my pain and my confusion.”
Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou pictured at the United Center on May 17, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.Daniel Boczarski/Getty
Daniel Boczarski/Getty
The former talk show host added that it was the first book she had read as a 15-year-old that had a Black protagonist. “That book gave a voice to my silences, my secrets,” Winfrey said. “It gave words to my pain and my confusion of being raped at nine years old.”
Winfrey went on to explain that before reading the book she “didn’t know that there was a language, there were words for what had happened to me or that any other human being on earth had experienced it,” adding, “That’s the power of books.”
For its 2023 iteration,LeVar Burtonwas tapped as the award show’s host, with Winfrey serving as a special guest. Stars such asMatthew McConaughey,Julie Andrews,Trevor NoahandDua Lipaintroduced each of the event’s categories with pre-recorded messages.
Angelou died in2014 at the age of 86. Winfrey has previously opened up about how the poet made a lasting impact on her life. In 2018, she described Agelou as a mix of a friend, mentor and mother figure, andgained inspiration from her for Winfrey’sA Wrinkle in Timecharacter, Mrs Which.
“I’ve been blessed to have Maya Angelou as my mentor, mother/sister and friend since my 20’s,” WinfreytoldVarietyafter Angelou died in 2014. “She was there for me always, guiding me through some of the most important years of my life.”
Before her death, Angelou had also appeared many times onThe Oprah Winfrey Show.
source: people.com
