Dr. Maya Angelou – the late, prolific poet and social activist – has become the first Black woman to appear on the U.S. quarter as part of the American Women Quarters (AWQ) Program.

To say Dr. Angelou is an inspiration is an understatement. After a string of odd jobs as a young adult, including fry cook and nightclub performer, Angelou published numerous essays, books of poetry, and seven autobiographies, including the one which brought her international recognition, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” She received more than 50 honorary degrees, and in 1993, she became the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since 1961. President Barack Obama awarded Dr. Angelou with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

Her works have been considered a defense of Black culture. During her memorial service, First Lady Michelle Obama remarked: “At a time when there were such stifling constraints on how [B]lack women could exist in the world, she serenely disregarded all the rules with fiercely passionate, unapologetic self. She was comfortable in every last inch of her glorious brown skin."

Dr. Angelou is an inspiration to me, and a stark reminder to fight for what you believe in. 

Lawyers Club celebrates that the United States will feature Dr. Angelou and other prominent trailblazing women on quarters over the next four years. This includes: astronaut Dr. Sally Ride, the first woman in space as well as the first known space traveler from the LGBTQ+ community; actress Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American to become a Hollywood star; suffragist and politician Nina Otero-Warren, the first Latina woman to run for the U.S. Congress; and activist Wilma Pearl Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Simply stated: it is about time!