The late poet was featured on a US quarter coin that went into circulation on Monday. The late poet and activist, Maya Angelou has become the first Black woman to be featured on the US quarter coin.
The poet who died in 2014 has become the first in a series of coins that the US Mint is using to honor prominent women in the country’s history in accordance with a new law that was signed last year.
The coin which has already gone into circulation depicts the poet with arms outstretched on the 25-cent coin.
The coin which was also announced on social media honors the legacy of the poet who was prominent in her work as a poet whilst also working alongside Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights Movement.
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The US Mint Deputy Director Ventris Gibson said in her speech while presenting the new coin to the public: “It is my honor to present our nation’s first circulating coins dedicated to celebrating American women and their contributions to American history”.
She then continued to say of the coins, “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.”
