As Black History Month winds down, we’re proud to bring you a clip from the KQED archives of Dr. Maya Angelou reciting Countee Cullen’s poem “Heritage.”
The clip comes from Blacks, Blues, Black!, a 10-part series that Angelou wrote and produced for KQED in 1968. In episodes featuring interviews, historical segments and more, Angelou explored African-American culture and its place in American society—and she often opened or closed each episode with a poem.
With limited time for the TV cameras, Angelou reads a condensed version of Cullen’s work, drawing upon the poem’s opening and closing. Find the full poem here, and watch full episodes of Blacks, Blues, Black! at the Bay Area Television Archive.
