Maya Angelou, Sex Worker
 

I didn't know much about her early life, raped by her mother's lover at 8, or prostitute and madam later on. I think that might explain much of where her depth of understanding of the human condition comes from. She's seen the people with the fire down below, and understands how it drives people.

An article about why she would probably be unhappy with the erasure of her sex worker past.

She was an honest woman and a survivor.