Maya Angelou (L); Dr. Sally Ride.Photo: Ken Charnock/Getty; NASA/Interim Archives/Getty
The U.S. Mint is honoring 20 trailblazing women on a new series of quarters, starting withMaya AngelouandDr. Sally Ride.
The poet and the NASA astronaut will be the first two women featured on the back of the coins, which are debuting in January and will continue in circulation through 2025 as part of theAmerican Women Quarters Program.
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee said in astatementthat “for too long, many of the women who have contributed to our country’s history have gone unrecognized, especially women of color.”
She added that Angelou and Ride “paved the way for many who came after them and inspired young women to carry on their legacy.”
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Dr. Sally Ride quarter.United States Mint
Maya Angelou quarter.United States Mint
TheU.S. Mint announcedRide and Angelou as the first honorees in April, saying the coins' heads “will continue to feature a likeness ofGeorge Washingtondesigned in a manner to distinguish it from the current image.”
“It’s especially fitting that it comes during the 20th-anniversary celebration for Sally Ride Science,” O’Shaughnessy added. “Thistribute reflects Sally’s legacynot only as a trailblazing astronaut but also as a champion of diversity and inclusion in STEM fields.”
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Angelou, whodied at the age of 86 in 2014, gained acclaim for her first book, her 1970 autobiographyI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
“Maya is one of those totally steadfast people with a spine made of iron,” writer Jessica Mitford, Angelou’s longtime friend, previously PEOPLE. “She’s a force of nature with so many talents in every direction that the combination comes like an earthquake.”
Sen. Deb Fischer and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who introduced congressional legislation to create the American Women Quarters Program, previously wrote in a FebruaryUSA Todayopinion piecethat “as female U.S. senators, our story would not have been possible without these women who came before us.”
“We look forward to being reminded of their legacies every time we see their faces on a new quarter,” they added.
source: people.com
