Maya Angelou's image will appear on a new batch of U.S. quarters that went into distribution on Monday, the U.S. Mint announced. The achievement makes her the first Black woman in the country's history to ever appear on the coin.

Excited to announce that today, Maya Angelou becomes the first Black woman to appear on a US quarter!

The phenomenal women who shaped American history have gone unrecognized for too long—especially women of color. Proud to have led this bill to honor their legacies. pic.twitter.com/TYZeEJ8LhX

— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) January 10, 2022

U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) shared the news on Twitter, not holding back any of her excitement for the declaration.

"Excited to announce that today, Maya Angelou becomes the first Black woman to appear on a US quarter! The phenomenal women who shaped American history have gone unrecognized for too long—especially women of color. Proud to have led this bill to honor their legacies," she wrote.

Ventris Gibson, U.S. mint deputy director, explained in a news release that the coin is the first of its campaign dedicated to honoring American women for their contributions to society.

“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," Gibson said in the announcement.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a separate statement that the coin serves as a chance to say "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," she wrote.

“Maya Angelou’s writing and activism inspired countless Americans and her legacy helped fuel greater fairness and understanding across our nation,” Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), who's credited as one of the Senate sponsors of the bill, said in news release. “She is exactly the type of leader I had in mind when Senator Fischer, Representative Lee and I wrote our bipartisan legislation to create a series of quarters honoring the contributions of American women. This coin will ensure generations of Americans learn about Maya Angelou’s books and poetry that spoke to the lived experience of Black women.”

U.S Mint

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week