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Maya Angelou

American Women’s Quarter Program

Celebrated writer, performer, and social activist, Maya Angelou, became the first Black woman to appear on a US quarter. The Maya Angelou quarter is the first in the American Women Quarters Program, which went into circulation on Monday, January 10, 2022.

“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,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a separate statement. “I’m very proud that these coins celebrate the contributions of some of America’s most remarkable women, including Maya Angelou.”

The distinguished American women celebrated on the 2022 quarters include:

Maya Angelou – celebrated writer, performer, and social activist
Dr. Sally Ride – physicist, astronaut, educator, and first American woman in space
Wilma Mankiller – first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation
Nina Otero-Warren – a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement and the first female superintendent of Santa Fe public schools
Anna May Wong – first Chinese American film star in Hollywood

“It is my honor to present our Nation’s first circulating coins dedicated to celebrating American women and their contributions to American history,” said Mint Deputy Director Ventris C. Gibson. “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.”