Culture Writer Halima Ahad reports on the American Quarter’s Initiative which has introduced Maya Angelou as the first black woman on a US coin
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In the ‘American Women Quarters’ initiative, Maya Angelou is the first black woman to appear on the 25-cent coin, a US quarter. The coin, featuring the late poet’s image, went into circulation Monday 10th January. The US Treasury also plans for other famous American women to be on the coins, including Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation and a campaigner for Native American rights.
The quarter features an image of the late poet and activist Angelou with her arms uplifted, with a bird in flight and the rising sun behind her. The portrait of George Washington, the country’s first president, is on the ‘heads’ side of the coin. The US Mint tells The Guardian that the image was ‘inspired by her poetry and symbolic way she lived.’
The quarter features an image of the late poet and activist Angelou with her arms uplifted, with a bird in flight and the rising sun behind her
Angelou, poet and author of many gripping and emotional works, died in 2014 at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the age of 86. She is most famous for her novel ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’ in which she explores the racial discrimination she experienced whilst growing up in the Deep South in the US. The area enforced segregation laws, which were racist and discriminated against black people. She was the author of 36 books and the recipient of 20+ honorary degrees. As well as poetry, Angelou wrote cookbooks, children’s books, a feature film screenplay and a 10-part TV series.
Maya Angelou has been famed for many things. She was a role model and activist, who rose from a background of poverty, racism and violence, to become one of the many people to celebrate the black experience in the United States. Angelou went on to be active in the US Civil Rights movement, working with the likes of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. The movement aimed to bring legal equality for black people in America. She was also given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US award given to a member of the public, by President Barack Obama in 2010. [Maya] was a role model and activist, who rose from a background of poverty, racism and violence, to become one of the many people to celebrate the black experience in the United States
As Janet Yellen, US treasury secretary, tells The Guardian ‘Each time we redesign our currency, we have the chance to say something about our country – what we value, and how we’ve progressed as a society. I’m very proud that these coins celebrate the contributions of some of America’s most remarkable women, including Maya Angelou.’
The Angelou quarter is the first in the US Mint’s ‘American Women Quarters’ programme, in which the American public was invited to submit the names of iconic women for the programme after a bill was put forward by Democrat congresswoman Barbara Lee. The quarters will include many inspirational women who have shaped America today, including the first female astronaut Dr Sally Ride.
‘I am proud to have led this effort to honour these phenomenal women, who more often than not are overlooked in our country’s telling of history,’ says Lee. ‘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.”
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