Angelou dedicates Letter to the daughter she never had but whom she sees in every woman, regardless of their race, religion, or sexuality. A mother, Angelou implies, is not defined by biology alone. More important than blood relations is sharing one’s life with complete transparency—an idea Angelou establishes early in the work. Motherhood is therefore rooted in communication and storytelling, as is evidenced in the conversational nature of the work. This definition of motherhood contextualizes Letter, presenting the book as a collection of stories to be passed down through generations of women. As such, Angelou maps out her relations with different “mothers”—that is, influential women in her life. The two most prominent female figures are her grandmother, Annie Henderson, and her mother, Vivian Baxter. These women shaped Angelou’s morals and personal values, thereby shaping Angelou herself. Angelou purposefully establishes her grandmother and her mother as foils, diversifying and expanding the meaning of motherhood even further; though quite different in temperament and belief, both women were integral to Angelou’s development, and Angelou forged equally valuable maternal relationships with them.

Angelou’s grandmother raised her until she was 13 in Stamps, Arkansas.