Maya Angelou to appear on the U.S. quarter

The development of a new series of quarters that highlighted important women from U.S. history was authorized by the U.S. Mint after Congress’s Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. The first coins in this American Women Quarters Program had officially shipped as of Jan. 11, The Washington Post reported. They feature Angelou, making her the first Black woman ever depicted on a U.S. quarter.

“As a leader in the civil rights movement, poet laureate, college professor, Broadway actress, dancer, and the first female African American cable car conductor in San Francisco, Maya Angelou’s brilliance and artistry inspired generations of Americans,” stated California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who co-sponsored the bill. “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.’”

Angelou was a celebrated writer, performer, and social activist. After the publication of her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she rose to international standing as an author. Her published works of verse, non-fiction, and fiction include more than 30 bestselling titles.

On the tails side of the coin, Angelou’s arms outspread before a rising sun and a bird in flight. The heads side still depicts George Washington in profile, but it’s different from the previous image. This one was created by acclaimed sculptor Laura Gardin Fraser in 1931, which she submitted to a coin-designing competition organized by Congress for Washington’s 200th birthday in 1932. Fraser lost out to John Flannigan, whose design has been used on quarters since then, but her rendering of Washington will decorate the heads sides of all the quarters in the American Women Quarters Program.

Upcoming tails will feature other women with notable “firsts” to their names, including Sally Ride, the first American woman in space; Wilma Mankiller, the Cherokee Nation’s first female principal chief; Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star; and Nina Otero-Warren, Sante Fe’s first female public school superintendent.