U.S. Mint is honoring 20 women in a series of new quarters that are part of the American Women Quarters Program. A program that will run for 4 years, and release 5 new quarters each year. It's part of the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which also states that no living person may be featured on the coin designs.
In January of 2022, the first two trailblazing women who will be featured are poet Dr. Maya Angelou and astronaut Dr. Sally Ride. They will be on the tails side of the quarter with George Washington staying heads.
Dr. Maya Angelou was a poet / writer, actress and dancer. She received many awards and accolades which included 50 honorary doctorates. Angelou was the first African American and female poet to speak at a Presidential Inauguration: 1993 the Inauguration of President Bill Clinton,
Dr. Sally Ride was the first American woman to fly in space, and the first acknowledged gay astronaut. She was part of the Challenger mission in 1983. She used the robotic arm to help put satellites in space. She flew again in 1984. In 1987, she left NASA, and started teaching at the University of California. She came up with the idea of NASA's EarthKAM project that lets middle school students take photos of Earth using a camera on the International Space Station. She was always proactive in ways to help women and girls in science and mathematics. Dr. Sally Ride was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2003.
Both women, Angelou and Ride, have been honored by Mattel in the Inspiring Women Collection. Who are other inspiring women you'd like to see honored? Recommendations here.