The U.S.A Mint has commenced the distribution of coins featuring the image of the famous Maya Angelou. This makes the poet and activist the first black woman ever to be featured on the USA currency.
The coin popularly known as the Quarter features the image of Angelou with her hands lifted and there is a bird flying and a rising sun behind her. The coin also features the portrait of former US President George Washington on the “heads” side.
The US Mint stated that the image of Angelou Maya was “inspired by her poetry and symbolic of the way she lived.”
The writer and poet died in 2014. She was a famous author of ‘I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing” in which she jotted down about racism that she experienced as a child.
Maya Angelou wrote 36 books and she received over 20 honorary degrees. She also read her poem on the Pulse during inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1992. Barack Obama awarded Maya the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010.
“Each time we redesign our currency, we have the chance to say something about our country – what we value, and how we’ve progressed as a society. I’m very proud that these coins celebrate the contributions of some of America’s most remarkable women, including Maya Angelou,” said Janet Yellen, US treasury secretary.
This feature of Angelou Maya on US coins is part of the American Women Quarters Program. It is meant to celebrate the contributions of prominent women to the US history. Barbara Lee, the Democrat Congresswoman, presented the bill to Congress.
“I will forever cherish the private moments I had the privilege to share with Maya, from talking in her living room as sisters to her invaluable counsel throughout the challenges I faced as a Black woman in elected office,” stated Barbara Lee.
“I am proud to have led this effort to honor these phenomenal women, who more often than not are overlooked in our country’s telling of history. If you find yourself holding a Maya Angelou quarter, may you be reminded of her words, ‘be certain that you do not die without having done something wonderful for humanity.’”
