Later she taught in Ghana and was feature editor of The African Review. In the 1960's she said that being black, female, non-Muslim, non-Arab, six foot tall, and American made for some interesting experiences during her stay in Africa. During this time she was also the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. President Gerald Ford and the National Commission appointed her to the Bicentennial Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year by Jimmy Carter. She has published ten best selling books and countless magazine articles, and in 1993 she wrote and delivered the presidential inauguration for President Bill Clinton. .
One of Maya Angelou's books, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an account of her youth, describes the trauma of being raped as a child, the violent death of her attacker, and her subsequent refusal to speak for five years. It has been the target of many censorship attacks. She continued her ongoing autobiography in Gather Together in My Name in1974. In the same year, Maya also writes the screenplay, All Day Long, and serves as Distinguished Visiting Professor at Wake Forest University, Sacramento. She also adapts Sophocles" Ajax, a two-act drama, which was first produced in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum. Singin" and swingin" and gettin" merry like Christmas, her third autobiographical volume was published in 1976. Maya Angelou also writes two Afro-American television specials, "The Legacy" and "The Inheritors". She is named Woman of the Year in Communications by the Ladies" Home Journal, and is awarded an honorary doctorate from Lawrence University. Ms. Angelou also writes the play, And Still I Rise. By this time in Ms. Maya Angelou's life, she is very well known and respected. This is a place that she dreamed of having,, always knew that she could have, and earned it every step of the way.
