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.

The Maya Angelou Quarter

What do you think about seeing more people from different backgrounds on the face of money?

Picture of Markette Sheppard

Markette Sheppard

Markette Sheppard is an Emmy award-winning TV host, children's book author, marketing executive and founder of Glow Stream TV. Follow her online @markettesheppard and @glowstreamtv.

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