Maya Angelou, born April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, did not speak for nearly five years as a child. After a traumatic experience, young Maya decided that her voice was too dangerous to use. She went completely silent. During those quiet years, Maya read everything she could find. She memorized poetry. She fell in love with the rhythm and power of language. A teacher named Mrs. Flowers helped her see that spoken words carry a special beauty. Slowly, Maya began to speak again. She grew up to become one of the most important writers in American history. Her book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" tells the story of her childhood. The title comes from a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar. A caged bird sings not because it is free but because it has a song inside that must come out. Angelou saw herself in that image -- someone whose voice could not be silenced permanently. Angelou's life was as remarkable as her writing. She was a singer, dancer, actress, director, and civil rights activist. She worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. In 1993, she read her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration. She was only the second poet to read at such an event. Her legacy reminds us that the most powerful voices sometimes come from the quietest beginnings.