Clip of Maya Angelou correcting student for calling her by her first name sparks Twitter debate
Editor’s note: The young woman in the clip was 20 during her interaction with Maya Angelou. A previous version of this story reported she was 14, citing Angelou’s comments from the video.
Maya Angelou became a trending topic this week when an old clip of her explaining how she should be addressed went viral.
» RELATED: 7 inspiring quotes to remember from Maya Angelou
In the video, which is reportedly from around 1990 interview, a 14-year-old girl calls the poet by her first name while asking her a question about interracial dating.
The late activist thanked the girl before correcting her.
“Thank you,” Angelou said. “And first, I’m Ms. Angelou. I’m not Maya. I’m 62 years old. I’ve lived so long and tried so hard that a young woman like you, or any other, has no license to come up to me and call me by my first name.”
“That’s first,” she continued. “Also, because at the same time, I’m your mother, I’m your auntie, I’m your teacher, I'm your professor. See?”
The snippet began to circulate after Twitter user @PrinceCharmingP uploaded it. He captioned the post, "I can't wait to turn 30 so I can read one of yall for calling me by my first name like this."
Within two days, his tweet had been viewed more than 2.4 million times, and it sparked debates about generational differences and how people should be addressed.
Some said Angelou’s response was harsh. They thought she should have talked to the teen differently.
Maya Angelou did NOT have to READ this innocent girl down on national TV like that 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/S9ILNYbCZY
— Derek (@Doogi_) March 15, 2019
Nah Maya Angelou was wrong lmao every teaching moment doesn’t have to be harsh
— ZK Fit (@ZsaKam_Blaze) March 15, 2019
Y’all I don’t see how Maya Angelou is wrong... 🤷🏾♀️ it’s a respect thing
— Mmays. (@MarieeMarieeME) March 15, 2019
Dr. Maya Angelou knew what Ms. Angelou did was wrong. pic.twitter.com/sXxYaX7dFF
— Simone (@SimonesFiasco) March 15, 2019
I’m respectful but I would’ve have curse out Maya Angelou right here pic.twitter.com/UcadtIceT0
— Norman Dale (@_CoachHill) March 15, 2019
On the other hand, several defended Angelou and said her reply was appropriate due to her age and legacy.
According to the Internet, Maya Angelou, at age 62, was wrong for telling a teenager not to call her by her first name.
— Chidike Okeem (@VOICEOFCHID) March 15, 2019
Just say that you don't have any respect for your elders and go. 🙄
You are offended by this?!! You're mad if you think that at 14 you can call a 62 year old women by her first name! Let alone the ICON that is Maya Angelou! We'd get straight slapped for this. Put some respect on her name! Madness. https://t.co/K6Kp7slthi
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) March 16, 2019
A lot of people are saying how Maya Angelou addressed this situation was disrespectful and I don’t see it.
— E (@__erinbennett) March 15, 2019
Out of respect for her work, her title, and the legacy she created...yes, it’s Miss Angelou to you. The power dynamics are clear, I ain’t ya colleague sis. https://t.co/MMSD4Yo13G
Please know that Maya Angelou is trending nationally because there are some young folks who are offended that she directed a young woman to call her Ms. Angelou instead of Maya in a 20-year-old clip.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 15, 2019
We are doomed. pic.twitter.com/XD1odHh0cV
if you think Maya Angelou is in the wrong you can unfollow me now, go to your nearest purveyor of LEGOs, purchase several, return to your domicile, distribute the LEGOs across the floor, remove your shoes and socks, and walk across said LEGOs
— wikipedia brown at #C2E2 💖 (@eveewing) March 15, 2019
A few even noted Angelou apologized for her delivery. In another clip that surface, the legend said, “I apologize for being so short.”
Later in the video, Maya Angelou apologized to the young girl for being short with her so everyone calling people “sensitive” for noticing the disrespect in her initial response can relax lol pic.twitter.com/fScII5YQvS
— ms. angelou if ya nasty (@sportyidk) March 15, 2019
The takeaway is realizing that Maya Angelou had a high maturity level and also she saw the importance of apologizing to kids. Kids who never hear adults apologizing will grow up to be adults who never apologize. https://t.co/73OzegcpS6
— Chadwick (@_ablackguy) March 15, 2019
Maya Angelou even apologized to the young girl at the end of the video for how she spoke to her because she knew she was being extra as fuck. Y'all need to stop calling people who originally said her response was rude "disrespectful." Maya knew she didn't have to read the girl.
— 💋 (@MJFinesseLover) March 15, 2019
And a few believed the arguments were silly and there were bigger issues to discuss.
Maya Angelou is dead she is the literal definition of unbothered can y’all stop trying to drag a new dead person every week when you’re bored
— Ira Madison III (@ira) March 15, 2019
Dr. Maya Angelou is resting peacefully, and definitely not worried about people who weren’t raised to—as my mama says—“put a handle on it.” Find something better to do than drag an ancestor’s name through the mud.
— Evette Dionne 🤷🏾♀️ (@freeblackgirl) March 15, 2019
Y'all are really arguing over that Maya Angelou clip from like 30 years ago? On this land?! pic.twitter.com/ZMBx3Fjvfj
— Fiona Applebum 🍎 (@hannaallison_) March 15, 2019
About the Author
Najja Parker is a multimedia journalist covering Black culture for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is an engaging on-air talent, who has served as a host for the newsroom’s special projects and events, such as the movie premiere of “The South Got Something To Say,” a documentary chronicling the rise of Atlanta hip-hop.
