WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Check your quarters because you might very well have a special one with ties to Winston-Salem in one of your pockets!
The United States Mint started shipping out in January, quarters featuring the image of America’s poet and Civil Rights activist, Maya Angelou. The poet is known for her many works including, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” in 1969. Angelou also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 by President Barack Obama.
She died in 2014 at the age of 86 at her home in Winston-Salem.
The quarter shows Angelou with outstretched arms and a bird behind her in flight and a rising sun which are images inspired by her poetry.
The mint’s program will continue and will issue 20 quarters over the next four years honoring women and their achievements in shaping the nation’s history over the years.