The poem’s criticism of anti-Black racism aligns with Angelou’s life experiences and her life-long activism. As a child, Angelou experienced race-related trauma because of her gender, race, and class. For a time during her childhood, the poet was mute, in response to a trauma she experienced, and the support and encouragement of her teacher, Mrs. Bertha Flowers, transformed her life. Thanks to Mrs. Flowers, Angelou began to speak again and to love poetry. Mrs. Flowers placed Black female writers like Frances Harper, Anne Spencer, and Jessie Fause amongst white male writers like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare, elevating the stature of the Black poets and valuing of Black art as equal to that of white mainstream writers and artists. This education informed Angelou’s career, and she carried on placing value on Black women’s experiences and feelings.

Throughout her life, Angelou also engaged in activism. Though Angelou’s politics were not as radical as other writers, Angelou supported different civil rights efforts throughout her life. For example, “Still I Rise” appeared in an advertising campaign for the United Negro College Fund.

Angelou met Martin Luther King, Jr. through her work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. A speech by King in 1960 inspired Angelou to stage the revue “Cabaret for Freedom,” and in 1968, King asked her to organize a march.