Maya Angelou, a poet, and activist become the first Black woman to appear on the US quarter coin. The new version of the coin was unveiled on Monday by the US.
The American Women Quarters Program, which was signed into law in January 2021, will also be the first figure commemorating. Angelou, author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” Amnesty International hopes to honor Angelou in the future.
According to the press release from the agency, the US mint has started shipping the first few coins with Angelou’s likeness on the American quarter, a 25-cent piece.
Mint Deputy Director Vetri Gibson said, “It is my honor to present our nation’s first circulating coin dedicated to celebrating American women and their contributions to American history”. He further added that each of the quarter coins of 2022 is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of accomplishment to celebrate the historic coin program. He said that Maya Angelou was featured on the reverse of the first coin series whose words are used to inspire and uplift.
Between 2022 and 2025, the program directs the US Mint to issue quarters each year that features five different female American trailblazers.
