Washington, DC – Larry Hanley, international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, issued the following statement today on the passing of Maya Angelou:
“The ATU family joins a nation in mourning the loss of renowned poet Dr. Maya Angelou. Her achievements as a novelist, educator, producer, actress and civil rights activist enriched and advanced America’s cultural life.
“What many may not know about the life of this Renaissance woman is that Dr. Angelou was San Francisco’s first African American streetcar conductor. While no one would even give her an application, she waited patiently and with resolve for two weeks until she got the job – shattering the glass ceiling for women in transit.
“Dr. Angelou was on the front lines during the Civil Rights movement helping Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organize the Poor People’s March in Memphis, TN and as a coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Council.
“As a champion for the disenfranchised and a drum major for justice, we can honor her extraordinary life by continuing to be driven by her words of wisdom: ‘We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.’”