Summary

Maya Angelou’s mother, Vivian Baxter, was born into a poor, black family during the first decade of the twentieth century in St. Louis. Her father was from Trinidad and had a thick Caribbean accent. He had evaded immigration authorities when he smuggled himself into Florida on a banana boat. Her father was very dark, but her mother was so light that she passed for white. Vivian was the first born of six.

Vivian’s father warned his children not to steal. But, he advocated fighting (to the point of violence) in the defense of one’s principles. As a result, the family became known as the “Bad Baxters.” Her brothers would rough up an enemy, and Vivian would join in. Grandmother Baxter played piano in the Baptist church. She taught her kids to sing hymnals and loved to hear them. The kids...