It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
Maya Angelou
Beauty in Diversity
Topic: The Natural World
It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter their color; equal in importance no matter their texture.
Maya Angelou (4 April, 1928 – 28 May, 2014), born Marguerite Annie Johnson, was an African-American poet, memoirist, actress, director, producer, writer, singer, dancer, and civil rights activist. Her compassion, courage, and deep spirituality influenced her vast body of work and public life. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and Stamps, Arkansas, Angelou confronted racial discrimination and personal trauma. These experiences served as the basis for her seminal work, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," reflecting her resilient spirit and setting the stage for her impactful roles in literature, cinema, and activism.
Angelou's kindness and empathy were defining traits, evident in her personal interactions and her writing. She held a strong belief in the transformative power of words, using her literary prowess to explore themes of love, kindness, and human fellowship, advocating the role of compassion in healing societal fractures. A spiritual person, Angelou drew on diverse traditions, encompassing African religions, Christianity, and Eastern philosophies. This broad spiritual perspective underpinned her sense of human interconnectedness and significantly influenced her creative output.
Her creativity, which spanned film directing, screenplay writing, autobiographical writing, poetry, essays, and music, addressed social, personal, and spiritual themes with a distinctive blend of honesty and empathy. Through life's hardships, Angelou retained a spirit of gratitude, a trait she imparted as a mentor to younger generations of artists and writers. Despite her passing in 2014, Angelou's legacy of courage, compassion, creativity, and spirituality continues to inspire, offering insight and comfort to countless individuals worldwide.
Maya Angelou, Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou.
Maya Angelou
Theme: Beauty
About This Maya Angelou Quotation [Commentary]
Maya Angelou writes, “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” She makes this both urgent and concrete: it is time, and it begins with how we “teach young people early on.” Children learn from adults whether difference is something to fear or something to welcome. When parents, teachers, and elders clearly say that “in diversity there is beauty and there is strength,” they help young people see varied cultures, bodies, and stories not as problems, but as sources of richness.
In the context passage, Maya Angelou continues, “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry,” and that “all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter their color; equal in importance no matter their texture.” Here she moves from a general statement about diversity to a careful naming of equality. Diversity is not simply variety; it is a community in which every “thread” is “equal in value” and “equal in importance.” The strength she speaks of grows where people recognize this equal worth and live by it.
For a theme of beauty, Maya Angelou links beauty directly to this way of seeing. Beauty is not limited to what is familiar or similar to us; it is revealed when we honor the full range of human difference as “equal in value” and “equal in importance.” To teach young people that “in diversity there is beauty and there is strength” is to shape their eyes and hearts, so that they grow up expecting to find value in every person and learning to stand with, rather than against, those who are not like themselves.
Additional Maya Angelou Quotations
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
—Angelou, Maya. “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” Maya Angelou Life Mosaic greeting card, Hallmark Cards, ca. 2000s.
“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”
—Angelou, Maya. Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou. Random House, 2014.
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