Late literary giant Dr. Maya Angelou’s impact will echo for generations to come and the St. Louis native’s legacy will be honored by the U.S. Mint. According to CBS News, Angelou will make history as one of the first women to have her likeness featured on a quarter.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury bureau has unveiled an effort to pay homage to women throughout American history, who have driven transformative change culturally, socially and politically, by featuring their images on coinage. The coin series—dubbed American Women Quarters—was designed to shine a light on women who have shaped the landscape of the U.S. Dr. Angelou will be honored along with Dr. Sally Ride; an astronaut and physicist who was the first American woman to go to space.

“Their legacies, their achievements, they’re all going to be captured on pocket change for generations,” Michelle Thompson, the project manager for the initiative, told the news outlet. “We’re looking for a very broad, diverse group of women because that’s what we have in America. They’re the type of women who have shaped where we are as a nation.” The quarters are slated to start circulating in January 2022. The U.S. Mint is aiming to honor 18 other women.

News about Dr. Maya Angelou being featured on the quarter comes as efforts to put abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill are still underway. President Joe Biden’s administration shared that the Treasury Department would take the necessary steps to move the effort forward, however, it may take years for the project to be completed due to printing deadlines, The New York Times reported. “It’s important that our money reflects the history and diversity of our country,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

SEE ALSO:

Biden Administration Revives Plan To Put Harriet Tubman In Her Rightful Place On $20 Bill

Put Some Respect On Ms. Angelou’s Name: 20 Facts You Didn’t Know About Dr. Maya Angelou

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