Episode 19: Maya Angelou and Millie and Christine McKoy
During the month of February, we will be honoring Black History Month by telling the stories of extraordinary black women. Lynn starts us out with the amazing Maya Angelou. After not speaking for most of her childhood, Maya Angelou blossomed into a phenomenal woman. She spoke 7 languages, was an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, educator, and civil rights activist.
Rose tells us about conjoined twins, Millie and Christine McKoy who went by the stage names "The Carolina Twins" and "The Two-Headed Nightingale". They were forced to start entertaining at eight-months-old and traveled throughout the world performing for entertainment. They overcome years of slavery, forced medical observations, and forced participation in fairs and freak shows but they persevered and retired as wealthy women.
Thank you to our sources!
Lynn used the following sources for her stories:
Photos of Maya Angelou
Biography: Maya Angelou
Biography: Maya Angelou (womenshistory.org)
Growing Up Maya Angelou
Growing Up Maya Angelou | Arts & Culture| Smithsonian Magazine
The Moving Story of How a Teacher Inspired Maya Angelou to Speak - Learning Liftoff
The Moving Story of How a Teacher Inspired Maya Angelou to Speak - Learning Liftoff
Oprah's Super Soul on Apple Podcasts
Oprah's Super Soul on Apple Podcasts
Rose used the following sources for her stories:
Born Into Slavery, Died As Royal Entertainers: The Jaw-Dropping Journey of The McKoy Conjoined Twins
https://www.ranker.com/list/lives-of-mckoy-conjoined-twins/melissa-sartore
Summary of The History of the Carolina Twins: Told in "Their Own Peculiar Way" By "One of Them"
https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/millie-christine/summary.html
Millie and Christine McKoy, Conjoined Twins, born - African American Registry
https://aaregistry.org/story/millie-and-christine-mckoy-conjoined-twins-born/
McCoy, Millie-Christine [McKoy] | NCpedia
https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/mccoy-millie-christine