US Mint Begins Shipping Zones Honoring Maya Angelou

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint said Monday that it has begun shipping the poet’s squares Maya Angelou, the first coins in the US Women’s Program.

Angelou, an American author, poet, and civil rights activist, became famous with the publication of the book “I Know Why the Cages Bird Sings” in 1969. Angelou, died in 2014 at the age of 86 , honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 by President Barack Obama.

The design of the quarter depicts Angelou with outstretched arms. Behind her is a bird in flight and a rising sun, images inspired by her poetry.

The mint program will issue 20 quarters over the next four years to honor women and their achievements in shaping the nation’s history.

Additional honorees in 2022 will be physicist and first female astronaut Sally Ride, and Wilma Mankiller, the first female lead of the Cherokee Nation. This year was also honored as Nina Otero-Warren, a leader in the New Mexico suffrage movement and the first female superintendent of public schools in Santa Fe, and Anna May Wong, the American movie star The first Chinese-American in Hollywood.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, Senate sponsor of legislation directing the mint to issue quarters honoring women, welcomed the Mint’s selection of Angelou for its first coin.

“This coin will ensure generations of Americans learn about Maya Angelou’s books and poetry about the life experiences of black women,” she said in a statement.

Treasurer Janet Yellen, the nation’s first female Treasury Secretary, said, “Every time we redesign our currency, we get a chance to say something about our country.. .. I am very proud that these coins honor the contributions of some of America’s Most Remarkable Women, including Maya Angelou. ”

The Biden administration announced shortly after taking office a year ago that it planned to replace Andrew Jackson’s portrait on the $20 bill with abolitionist Harriet Tubman, a leader of the Underground Railroad. However, since that announcement, the administration has not provided further details about its plan.