Renown Poet Maya Angelou to Be First Black Woman on a New U.S. Quarter

Next time you get change back, you may want to see what faces are on the quarters.

The U.S mint has launched the American Woman series to celebrate the contributions of women throughout U.S. history.

Renown poet, social activist and author Maya Angelou has become the very first Black woman to be on a U.S. quarter.

The coin went into circulation on January 10 and features an image of a rising sun, a flying bird, and Angelou with her arms outstretched and uplifted.

Janet Yellen, secretary of the Treasury, released a statement about the coin, and said, “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.”

The American Women Quarters Program is a four-year series of coins minted with George Washington on one side and an important American woman on the other; this year’s coins will depict Angelou, Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Nina Otero-Warren, and Anna May Wong.

Representative Barbara Lee, who led the bill that created the program, tweeted, “The phenomenal women who shaped American history have gone unrecognized for too long—especially women of color.”

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley tweeted, “Black women have historically done the most for our country while receiving the least recognition. Glad to see Maya Angelou, a shero of mine, have her legacy honored & become the first Black woman enshrined on the US quarter.”

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