Late poet and activist, Maya Angelou, has become the first Black woman to be featured on the US quarter coin.
Maya who died in 2014, is first in a series of coin the US Mint used o honor prominent women in the country’s history, following a new law signed in 2021.
The coin which has already gone into circulation, depicts the poet with arms outstretched on the 25-cent coin.
Appearing on the coin is in honor of the legacy of the Angelou who was exceptional in her carrer as a poet whilst also working alongside Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights Movement.
The US Mint Deputy Director Ventris Gibson while presenting the new coin to the public in her speech, said;
“It is my honor to present our nation’s first circulating coins dedicated to celebrating American women and their contributions to American history. Each 2022 quarter is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of accomplishments being celebrated throughout this historic coin program. Maya Angelou, featured on the reverse of this first coin in the series, used words to inspire and uplift.”
