“A Brave and Startling Truth” was written to be read aloud to an audience. Maya Angelou made history in June 1995, when she was invited to read this poem at the 50th anniversary commemoration of the United Nations. This marked her second major poetry reading; two years prior, she had recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at the presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton, the first poet to read at a presidential inauguration since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration more than three decades earlier. Angelou was also the first woman and the first Black poet to ever carry that honor. Her reading of “A Brave and Startling Truth” for the United Nations cemented Angelou’s writing career as one intrinsically entwined with American culture and political milestones, making her a proud symbol for the potential of underrepresented artists in America.

Almost two decades later, in 2014, “A Brave and Startling Truth” became the first poem ever to be sent into outer space. Several artistic works from different mediums were placed aboard the spaceship Orion on its journey to Mars; these also included sculptor Ed Dwight’s small statue “Pioneer Woman,” a recording of Gustav Holst’s “Mars” performed by the US National Symphony Orchestra, and memorabilia from the children’s program Sesame Street.