Ms. Maya Angelou

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Maya Angelou, a literary giant and champion for civil and human rights.  Her words were always eloquent and dignified and she influenced countless generations of writers, poets, seekers of truth, and those who fought for human dignity and the spirit of freedom.   

As we prepare for the Thursday, May 29^th aaduna fundraiser at Theater Mack in Auburn, NY, we dedicate our evening of celebrating words and music to Maya Angelou’s legacy and profound wisdom.  

America's Poet Laureate, Maya Angelou - google image

Still I Rise -
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my livin' room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meetings of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise