Poet Maya Angelou becomes first Black woman to appear on US coin

The US Mint has begun shipping the first coins with Maya Angelou's likeness on the American quarter, a 25-cent piece. She is the first Black woman to appear on a US coin.

Poet and activist Maya Angelou has become the first Black woman to appear on the US quarter, in a new version of the coin unveiled by the US Mint on Monday.

Angelou, author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," will also be the first figure commemorated through the American Women Quarters Program, which was signed into law in January 2021.