10. Maya Angelou

Civil right activist and famous poet Maya Angelou became a mother at the age of 16 and raised her child as a single parent with the help of her own mother, Vivian Baxter.

She spoke about being a teen mom and her mother’s support during an interview with Oprah. “The world would throw me flat on my face with this little baby I’m trying to raise,” Angelou said. “I would go home to Vivian Baxter. She would act as if it was the best thing that ever happened… She never, ever made me feel that I had done the wrong thing.”

Maya’s mother was very supportive of her decision to raise the baby by herself as well. She says that when she told Vivian that the baby’s father and herself did not love each other, her mother said, “We’re not going to ruin three lives. We’re going to have a beautiful baby.”

In 1969, Angelou went on to become the first African American woman to be a nonfiction bestselling author for her memoir I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. The book has received critical acclaim and many awards. Maya Angelou passed away in 2014.