Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928, according to Britannica. Her mother, Vivian Baxter, a beautiful and sophisticated St. Louis native, fell in love with Bailey Johnson, Angelou's father, in 1924, shortly after he returned from serving in the Navy.

When Angelou was still a baby, her parents moved west, hoping to escape the racism of the South and Vivian's disapproving family. However, in California, their marriage quickly turned rocky, and they separated when Angelou was three. She and her five-year-old brother, Bailey, were sent to live with her paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas, per The Guardian. "They put me and my brother on a train, without any companionship, without any adult, put tags on our arms, and said, 'This child should be delivered to Miss Annie Henderson in Stamps, Ark,'" Angelou recalled, via NPR. At first, she thought that they had done a "terrible thing" to herself and her brother, but later in her life, Angelou said she would "thank God [...] I was sent to my paternal grandmother," via Smithsonian Magazine.

Annie Henderson, with her other son, Angelou's Uncle Willie, owned and operated the local general store. She was a sharp businesswoman and a loving grandmother. Angelou greatly admired her grandmother, saying, "She gave me so many gifts," including "confidence that I was loved." Stamps, Arkansas, proved to be a relatively safe haven for the early years of Angelou's life.

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