NMAfA Director Johnnetta B. Cole reflects
A singular voice has, today, passed from our midst. We were privileged to have known her, honored to have called her friend. It is with deep sorrow that we acknowledge the passing of Maya Angelou, one of the most renowned and influential individuals of our time.
To the world, Maya Angelou, while a multifaceted talent, was perhaps best known as celebrated poet, activist, artist, educator, historian. To the National Museum of African Art, she was our advocate, our cheerleader, and honorary chair of our national campaign. With people everywhere, we will continue to learn from and be inspired by her exemplary life and work.
The National Museum of African Art family joins voices from around the globe to bid farewell and celebrate a life well lived. Museum director Johnnetta Betsch Cole reflected, “Today, my friend, my sister, my teacher, a wonderful advocate for ‘my’ museum has gone to Glory. As we mourn the physical loss of a beloved treasure, magnificent American, and international force, let us find comfort in Dr. Maya Angelou’s own words,
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
― Maya Angelou
When Great Trees Fall
