The History of Celebrate! Maya Project

Our over-arching focus is youth throughout the state of Arkansas, we are especially attentive to the needs of youth in the Arkansas delta region, where youth and their families remain most in need – economically, socially and educationally. We work with parents, community leaders, school leaders and educators, as well as other nonprofit organizations in the region. Our interest in serving the Delta is in response to the decades-long studies that tell us the student populations in America’s Mississippi- Arkansas Delta regions are likely to be poorer, and have far less access to quality education, health and social services. This results far too often in students being less motivated to graduate from school, or to enter college.

Another component of our project is to find ways to address the fact that most often, these students are less likely to be exposed to historical and inspirational figures such as Dr. Maya Angelou, and others who look like them, and who can inspire them to reach beyond their day to day realities.

A secondary mission of taking Maya to Arkansas Schools and Communities, is to have public conversations, to help communities learn about Arkansas’ great history, and for youth to understand that in addition to a quality education, personal dreams and hopes are prerequisites for life successes. We know that where there is poverty, there is a scarcity of dreams, and hopes. When youth are exposed to the stories and the history of men and women whose childhoods also represented obstacles, they are more likely to have hope and dream that they, too, can succeed in life.

Our programs and initiatives mirror our mission. We seek to share Maya with the children of the Delta, helping them realize their own propensity for success, teaching them the power of service –while Dr. Angelou was a poet, author, actress and singer; she spent her life advocating for civil and social humanity. Our group seeks opportunities to share Maya’s message for life with students and the villages that nurture them – schools, churches, parents, communities. This project is our opportunity to serve, assist and become a member of the villages of Arkansas.

We seek partnerships with Arkansas Delta schools and communities to help promote the appreciation and understanding of global icon Maya Angelou, whose roots are in Arkansas, but whose humanity, teaching and words span the globe. Together, we believe, we can help youth imagine the world they seek. Maya Angelou’s iconic “Still I Rise,” will be used as a blueprint for success throughout this project. Through an immersion in, and discussion of Angelou’s poem, our goal is to show students that success is possible, in spite of their odds; a prime example being Angelou’s success in scaling seemingly unreachable heights, and ignoring the boundaries set by others as she continued her life journey.