Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In a collective act of remembrance and resistance against erasure, we honor the voices of women who refused to be silenced with a community reading of Dr. Maya Angelou's work and flower ceremony at the Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman monument.
Offering a beacon for the values that defined Dr. Angelou’s life — courage, faith, justice, resilience and artistic freedom — the program will feature remarks by monument designer, artist Lava Thomas, President and CEO of Glide, Dr. Gina Fromer and readings from selections of Dr. Angelou's poetry and interviews. In the ceremony portion of the program, participants are invited to activate the space by sharing a wish for a future that embraces the values that Dr. Angelou exemplified, which will then be tied to a carnation and placed at the foot of monument.
The nine-foot, bronze Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman honors Dr. Maya Angelou and features the words "Still I Rise" on one side and an inspiring quote about the power of libraries and human connection on the other. Installed in the fall of 2024, it is the first public monument in San Francisco's civic art collection to honor a Black woman and stands on the Larkin Street steps of the Main Library.
After the ceremony, the flowers will be displayed in the African American Center.
In a collective act of remembrance and resistance against erasure, we honor the voices of women who refused to be silenced with a community reading of Dr. Maya Angelou's work and flower ceremony at the Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman monument.
Offering a beacon for the values that defined Dr. Angelou’s life — courage, faith, justice, resilience and artistic freedom — the program will feature remarks by monument designer, artist Lava Thomas, President and CEO of Glide, Dr. Gina Fromer and readings from selections of Dr. Angelou's poetry and interviews. In the ceremony portion of the program, participants are invited to activate the space by sharing a wish for a future that embraces the values that Dr. Angelou exemplified, which will then be tied to a carnation and placed at the foot of monument.
The nine-foot, bronze Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman honors Dr. Maya Angelou and features the words "Still I Rise" on one side and an inspiring quote about the power of libraries and human connection on the other. Installed in the fall of 2024, it is the first public monument in San Francisco's civic art collection to honor a Black woman and stands on the Larkin Street steps of the Main Library.
After the ceremony, the flowers will be displayed in the African American Center.
