The late great Maya Angelou is the face of the newly minted quarter-dollar coin introduced by the United States Mint. The celebrated author and poet who famously wrote about her troubled early life in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings had a tough start to life, but ended up being one of the most esteemed thought leaders in modern history, also serving as a mentor to Oprah Winfrey.
The new coin is the first in a series featuring prominent women in American history. Astronaut Sally Ride, Native American Chief Wilma Mankiller and Chinese-American actress Anna may Wong are just a few of the new faces that will be minted on our quarters in 2022. Angelou is the first African-American women to be featured on a US quarter.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), along with Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) and Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced the bipartisan bill that made the so-called American Women Quarters Program possible.
What do you think about seeing more people from different backgrounds on the face of money?