On the one hand, former white presidents. On the other, prominent women in the US. The American coin toss will feature a black woman on its quarters for the first time, with an engraved image of writer and activist Maya Angelou.
This Monday (10) the country’s Mint began distributing the coins, which are part of the American Women Quarters program (American women’s 25-cent coins, in literal translation), an initiative that also includes Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American Hollywood star.
Angelou, who died in 2014 at age 86, rose to international prominence after the publication of her disruptive autobiography “Eu Sei Por Que o Pássaro Canta na Gaiola” (Ed. Astral Cultural, R$49.90), which features a strong account of rape. and racism in the segregated American South.
At age 7, the writer was raped by her mother’s boyfriend — then beaten to death in an attack that some believe was carried out by Angelou’s uncles. The trauma of the abuse and the death of its author left the girl speechless for six years, during which time she began to write.
Awarded with more than 30 honorary titles, the activist read “On the Pulse of the Morning” at the inauguration of then-President Bill Clinton in 1992, marking the first time a black woman wrote and performed a poem in celebration of the type.
In 2010, then-President Barack Obama awarded Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2013, she received the Literary Award for her contribution to the literary community.
“Every time we redesign our currencies, we have a 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 statement. “I am so proud that these coins celebrate the contributions of some of America’s most exceptional women, including Maya Angelou.”
The American Women Quarters also features coins featuring Wilma Mankiller, the first chief chief of the Cherokee Nation, Adelina Otero-Warren, leader of the New Mexico suffragette movement, and Sally Ride, astronaut and physicist who was the first American woman to go into space.
There are four American coins: one, five, ten and 25 cents. They bring, on one side (face), the images of former American presidents Abraham Lincoln (since 1909), Thomas Jefferson (since 1938), Franklin D. Roosevelt (since 1946), and George Washington (since 1932), respectively.
On the other side (crown), the images vary more over time, and the 25-cent ones have been chosen for commemorative editions. According to the American Mint, from 1932 to 1998, the crown of these coins showed an eagle with open wings on a bundle of arrows, with olive branches below.
During this period, only in 1975 and 1976 was a special edition circulated in celebration of the bicentennial of American Independence, which took place in 1776. The coin features a colonial drummer and a victory torch surrounded by 13 stars, representing the 13 original colonies.
From 1998 to 2008, the crown changed design five times a year as part of the program to celebrate the 50 states. In 2009, there were six changes, this time in an initiative to honor the District of Columbia and American territories.
Subsequently, from 2010 to 2021, 56 different models showcased national parks and attractions as part of the Beautiful Quarters initiative (beautiful 25-cent coins).
The program now in place, honoring American women, will remain in effect for four years, from early 2022 to late 2025. Each year, up to five new crown designs can be designed, expanding the number of honorees.
Additionally, the face side will feature the portrait of George Washington looking to the right, originally sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser. This was the recommended design when the first American president appeared on the coin in 1932, but then Treasury Secretary Andrew Mallon chose the figure by John Flannigan, looking to the left.
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