Maya Angelou becomes the first black woman on U.S. quarter

Maya Angelou becomes the first black woman on U.S. quarter

Editorial Photo Credit: Spatuletail

Editorial Photo Cred: Spatuletail

History has been made.

The Washington Post is reporting that The U.S. Mint has begun shipping quarters featuring writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou to banks in the United States — making her the first Black woman to be featured on a quarter-dollar.  Deputy Director of the U.S. Mint, Ventris C. Gibson, said in a statement, “It is my honor to present our Nation’s first circulating coins dedicated to celebrating American women and their contributions to American history.”

The back of the coin was designed by Emily Damstra and sculpted by Craig A. Campbell. It shows Dr. Angelou’s arms raised with a symbol of a bird behind her which is meant to represent her work as a poet and “the way she lived.”

Maya Angelou passed away on May 28th, 2014 at age 86.

Other women whose likenesses will soon be featured as part of the American Women Quarters Program include Anna May Wong, widely considered to be the first Chinese American movie star, and Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly to space.

Source: The Washington Post

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