Maya Angelou Becomes the 1st Black Woman to be Featured on United States Quarter Coin
- Late poet and social activist, Maya Angelou, has become the first-ever black woman to be featured on US quarter coin
- The 25-cent coin which had an image of the poet who passed on in 2014 went into circulation on Monday, January 10, 2022
- Maya, born in 1928, became an essayist and poet who worked with Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights Movement.
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A poet has made history as far as the black race is concerned in the United States after being featured on the country's quarter coin.
Late Maya Angelou was depicted in the quarter with open and outstretched arms and had behind her a flying bird and rising sun.
Source: UGC
The new quarter recently went into circulation
According to Al Jazeera, the 25-cent quarter coin which had the image of the deceased was circulated on Monday, January 10, 2022.
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Briefly News gathered that the coin is one of the numerous coins that would be released via a programme aimed at honouring prominent women in US history which was signed in 2021.
“...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,'' US Mint Deputy Director Ventris Gibson said.
Other personalities to be featured in the coins are the first female US astronaut Sally Ride; the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation and a campaigner for indigenous rights Wilma Mankiller as well as a Chinese-American film star in Hollywood Anna May Wong, BBC News reports.
Harriet Tubman: bio, facts, $20 bill, Underground Railroad, why is her legacy important?
Briefly News previously reported that Araminta Ross, popularly known as Harriet Tubman, is among the earliest Black American abolitionists. She was a brave woman who put her life at risk to rescue hundreds of enslaved Black Americans during the early 1840s.
Harriet also doubled up as a political activist. Her legacy will forever be remembered by the Black community in the US. If you are a fan of Black history, then you may find her bio interesting.
Harriet joined the antislavery movement at a tender age. By the time she came of age, she had contributed more to the movement than anyone could imagine. Her efficiency in transporting slaves through the Underground Railroad prompted many Union military commanders to put a price on her head.
Source: Briefly News
