“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased”
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was 86-years-old when she passed away in 2014. She was a woman who vowed to leave behind a legacy – and there is no question that she managed to do just that.
Where does one start when it comes to listing her many achievements? She was a best-selling author, an impactful public speaker, a staunch civil rights activist, and a famed dancer and she even starred in numerous films and television shows.
In addition, just a few short years before her death she was also given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008. At the time, Barack Obama described her as ‘one of the brightest lights of our time’. It was one of her defining moments.
These are unquestionably the types of accolades that solidified her legacy during her life. Now, however, she continues to add to her legacy almost eight years after her death.
Yes, the inspirational Maya Angelou is once again making history because now, to add to the 36 books she penned and the more than 20 honorary degrees she’s received, Maya has become the face of a new coin in the United States. Indeed, it’s yet another facet of Angelou’s ever-evolving legacy.
So, how did Angelou earn such a reputation that she became a prime pick to appear on the 25-cent piece? It only seems fair to look at how she was chosen for this special distinction and what she had done during her life to deserve it.
Officially Minted
“What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it”
Maya Angelou
The winds of change really are picking up pace across the United States. The latest gust has swept over the country’s currency, where there’s a new face on the quarter. The coin – which is worth 25 cents – now features an image of Angelou.
When it went into circulation on Monday 10th January 2022, it was the first time that a black woman had adorned it. This means that each day millions of people will see Angelou’s face. This is no small feat for a woman who due to the colour of her skin spent a large chunk of her life living as a de facto second-class citizen following her birth in 1928.
While the coin doesn’t explicitly tell that side of her story, it is reflective of her life and the contributions she made to the literary world. It features Angelou with her arms spread to her sides, with one slightly uplifted. In the background there is a bird in flight – a tribute to her ground-breaking autobiography titled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
You can also see a sun rising in the background, making it a fitting tribute to a woman who brought so much light to the world.
The coin was created by designer Emily Damstra and medallic artist Craig A. Campbell as part of the US Mint’s American Women Quarters programme. This will see a number of high profile women follow in the footsteps of Angelou, with all the coins set to be in circulation until 2025.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is one of the many people who has spoken out about the exciting news, saying that the new quarters are an example of how the country has ‘progressed as a society’.
“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” she explained.
Yellen added: “I’m very proud that these coins celebrate the contributions of some of America’s most remarkable women, including Maya Angelou.”
There has only been a short amount of time for people to get their hands on the coins, but already men and women from across the country have been clamouring to have one in their possession.
This includes poet Amanda Gorman, who – much like Angelou did in 1993 – is fresh off reciting a poem during last year’s presidential inauguration for Joe Biden. In a post to her 1.5 million followers on the weekend that the coin went into circulation, the 23-year-old tweeted: “I’ve never been more excited to get a quarter.”
It’s clear that this tribute isn’t just a big deal, but also one that’s been a long time coming.
Getting Your Money’s Worth
“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it”
Maya Angelou
There were many people in America who wanted the currency to feature greater representation – both of women and of race. In the past women such as Martha Washington and Helen Keller have made brief appearances on coins, but people were still left yearning for more diversity.
The American Women Quarters programme is a huge step towards achieving this, with Cherokee activist Wilma Mankiller and the first Chinese American movie star Anna May Wong set to also appear on coins. These will be in circulation later in the year.
One of the biggest supporters of this happening was Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who had a personal relationship with Angelou. Upon the announcement that Angelou’s coin was becoming a reality, she released a heartfelt statement in which she celebrated her ‘sister’ and the other women who have been ‘overlooked’.
“I will forever cherish the private moments I had the privilege to share with Maya, from talking in her living room as sisters, to her invaluable counsel throughout the challenges I faced as a Black woman in elected office,” said Lee.
She added: “I am proud to have led this effort to honour these phenomenal women, who more often than not are overlooked in our country’s telling of history.”
Meanwhile, Angelou has actually leapfrogged plans to commemorate the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman by having her become the new face of the $20 bill. In 2016, it was revealed that Tubman – who was instrumental in helping slaves escape through the Underground Railroad in the 1800s – would soon be replacing Andrew Jackson.
The US Treasury Department has claimed that there are still plans for Tubman to grace the note by 2030, but sadly people are becoming sceptical that this will end up happening.
If anything, this delay is yet another reason why it’s so important that Angelou’s coin is already seeing the light of day in 2022.
The question is: what made Angelou’s life one that deserves commemorating in such a huge way? Well, you only have to look at her childhood to get a sense of a remarkable person who became a master in overcoming adversity on her way to achieving great things.
Early Years
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”
Maya Angelou
The above quote was one of the most poignant lines in Angelou’s 1969 autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The book was released at a pivotal time in history when African Americans were beginning to enjoy levels of equality not felt before. This followed a series of milestone legislation, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Angelou was fortunate enough to have a platform in which she could publicly discuss her personal life and she used it so eloquently when she chronicled the first 17 years of her life in her debut memoir. The book – while extremely raw – was a major triumph and ultimately brought her international acclaim after it flew off the shelves.
Success, however, was never a given for Angelou. Instead, she had suffered through a turbulent childhood from when she was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928. The name ‘Maya’ was actually an affectionate nickname given to her by her older brother Baily Jr., which derived from the phrase ‘my sister’.
The two siblings had a tumultuous upbringing as their parents’ marriage began to fall apart and at one point the two children were both sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. The fact that a young Angelou had to navigate through this alongside dealing with racism and inequality is a testament to her strength of character – something that never yielded throughout her life.
One of the key traumas that Angelou suffered through occurred when she was just eight years old. It was then when this young girl, who would one day go on to achieve greatness, was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. Through the process of discussing the rape in her memoir, Angelou became a pioneer for women everywhere – not just black women.
The ordeal would actually lead to a life-altering chain of events in which Angelou’s abuser was killed (thought to be at the hands of her uncles) and she became mute for five years. She famously wrote: “I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone.”
Thankfully the latter years of Angelou’s childhood did bring reason for hope. She managed to regain her ability to speak, something which she attributes to teacher and family friend Bertha Flowers. Flowers was also the person who opened Angelou’s eyes to the pleasures of literature – with the young Angelou being introduced to authors such as Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe.
As a teenager, Angelou lived through the war effort of the 1940s and attended the California Labor School after moving to the west coast. Then, at just 17-years-old, she made history for the first time when she became the first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco.
There was, of course, a lot more to come for Maya Angelou and she’d go on to make a lot more history.
Later Years
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within”
Maya Angelou
Angelou’s foray into the history books didn’t end when she became a streetcar driver. Despite the trauma that she had experienced in her early years, she was ready to make a name for herself when she became a young adult.
She worked hard to become a talented dancer and toured Europe in a production of Porgy and Bess. It’s here where she really began to establish her voice as she picked up several new languages during her travels. By the time of her death, she was fluent in six languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and West African Fanti.
It was, of course, literature that was her true calling – whether she knew it or not at that point. However, after meeting novelist John Oliver Killens she turned her focus to writing and moved to New York in 1959. It was here where she rubbed shoulders with authors such as John Henrik Clarke, Rosa Guy and Julian Mayfield.
In true Angelou fashion, she always wanted to make the world a better place – and at the time the best way to do this was by becoming an active member of the civil rights movement. She did this with her usual flair when – after meeting Martin Luther King Jr. in 1960 – she organised the play Cabaret for Freedom. This was a successful fundraiser in which the proceeds went to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Angelou remained active in the quest for civil rights and even formed a friendship with Malcolm X. The two were actually very close and his assassination in 1965 came as a huge blow for her. She briefly moved to Hawaii before returning to the mainland to focus on her writing career.
The more inroads she made in the literary world the more she became confident in using her voice – ultimately leading to the release of her first autobiography in 1969. The success of the book can’t be underestimated, and it catapulted the inspirational Angelou to become one of the most recognised black names in America. In many ways, she was already on her way to becoming a global icon.
Throughout the 70s and 80s she continued to write, while also picking up numerous awards and honorary degrees. In addition, she clinched several high-profile acting roles, including a part on the television series Roots. Angelou remained an inspiration to many during this time, including a young Oprah Winfrey.
If people didn’t know Angelou’s name by the 1990s, then they certainly did by the time of January 1993. It was then when she recited her poem – titled “On The Pulse Of Morning” – on Capitol Hill in Washington DC during the inauguration of Bill Clinton. There were around 800,000 people in attendance and almost 30 million people watching on television across America.
It’s moments like this why people are thrilled to see that Angelou is on the face of quarter, but for some the gesture doesn’t go far enough and believe that such a trailblazer deserves more.
The Current Debate
“We are only as blind as we want to be”
Maya Angelou
While there’s been plenty of positive fanfare over Angelou appearing on the new quarter, it can’t be ignored that there are some who aren’t too pleased with the gesture.
These people are actually very familiar with Angelou’s life and what she achieved – and it’s because of this is why they believe she deserves more than just appearing on such a low value coin.
This includes actress and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg. She accepts that ‘having Maya anywhere is a magnificent thing’, but argues that it pales in comparison to the promise that a black woman, Harriet Tubman, would be on the $20 bill.
Goldberg explained: “I want to point out that, not too long ago, we were expecting to have Harriet Tubman gracing the $20 bill. But now it looks like the price has been slashed to a quarter, because now we have Maya Angelou on a quarter.”
She added: “Come on, America! You don’t think this is going to make folks feel a little bit uncomfortable? We were on a $20 bill and now you have all of these powerful women, and you put them all on quarters? Come on!”
Meanwhile, other people aren’t too pleased with the fact that on the flip side of Angelou’s coin is an image of the country’s first president George Washington. Washington’s face usually appears on the quarter, but in this instance it’s deemed particularly distasteful because he was notoriously a slaveholder.
The argument really highlights the struggle between the country’s past and its future – with slavery still being ever present even in circumstances like this where the intent is to celebrate the achievements of a black woman.
What Next?
“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between”
Maya Angelou
Angelou was extremely successful in bringing about change but she always kept herself grounded in reality when it came to what can be achieved – which is captured perfectly in the quote. While Angelou now appears on the US quarter, it seems that there’s still a need for change across the globe.
This can come in many respects, with currency being a fantastic way to honour people of colour. In 2020 there were reports that Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the United Kingdom, was considering proposals to feature inspirational black and minority ethnic people on some of the country’s coins.
Mary Seacole, the British-Jamaican nurse behind the set up of the “British Hotel” during the Crimean War, was said to be a favourite. Time will tell whether this actually materialises.
Sadly – much like the United States – this would be a first, as so far only white faces have adorned the currency of the United Kingdom.
A Glimmer Of Hope
“You may stand upon me, but do not hide your face”
Maya Angelou
The above quote was taken from Angelou’s poem On The Pulse Of Morning. When she stepped up to recite this poem during the Presidential inauguration in 1993 – in the process becoming the first poet to take this honour since Robert Frost during John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961 – she did so in an effort to inspire unity.
This is largely what she’s still doing. In a country that in recent times has been torn apart by divisive politics, seeing the face of a woman that fought for equality for all can only be a good thing.
People will see her face and with any luck they’ll feel hope. You could say that this – rather than the coin itself – is the true legacy of Maya Angelou.