Maya Angelou Archives (original) (raw)
November 16, 2021November 10, 2022
The revered poet and novelist Maya Angelou (1928-2014) has attracted growing attention for a job she briefly held as a teenager: streetcar conductor in San Francisco during World War II. Much of what gets tossed about in social media is untrue or only partly true. Here, we turn to her own words from her books and interviews to provide the fullest story possible and correct common misperceptions.
4 Comments on Maya Angelou, streetcar conductor: the full story
February 1, 2021February 9, 2024 Rick Laubscher
San Francisco didn’t always have a reputation for openness and inclusion. The city’s past has been marred by discrimination in many forms. For example, before World War II, all but a small number of city employees were white.
2 Comments on Black barrier-breakers in San Francisco transit
May 28, 2014October 11, 2014 Rick Laubscher
Maya Angelou has passed away, at the age of 86. As an adult, she gained global fame as a writer. Well before that, as as a teen-ager, she broke barriers right here in San Francisco, when she was hired by our namesake, Market Street Railway, as the first female African-American streetcar conductor in the city.
No Comments on Maya Angelou, SF Streetcar Conductor
May 18, 2013November 14, 2014 Rick Laubscher
Something about the poet and author Dr. Maya Angelou escaped most people’s attention, until now. She was once employed by our namesake, Market Street Railway Company, Muni’s old competitor, as a streetcar conductor. The first black female conductor in San Francisco history, in fact.
1 Comment on Maya Angelou and Market Street Railway