Maya Angelou was born in 1928 in Missouri but was raised by her grandmother in Arkansas from age 3. She experienced racism in the southern US as an African American. She was raped as a teenager and gave birth to a son. Her autobiographies, like "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", focus on her life experiences with racism and overcoming difficulties. She relates to the novel "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" as it depicts the racial discrimination faced by African Americans in the south during that time period.