When the alert came across my phone early Wednesday morning about the release of the Maya Angelou coin I was elated. Even though we’re still waiting on the Harriett Tubman twenty ($20), it seemed a wonderful way to kick off Black History Month (BHM).

As is my habit I then looked up who designed the coins. Dr. Angelou’s is the first of a four- year series dedicated to trailblazing women in U.S. history. Other’s so honoured will be Asian actress Anna May Wong, suffragist and politician women’s rights activist Nina Otero- Warren, a Latina, astronaut Sally Ride and Cherokee activist Wilma Mankiller.

According to the Independent, Dr. Angelou’s coin was created by artist Emily Damstra and sculpted by medallic artist Craig A. Campbell to depict Angelou’s poetry and the way she lived. It shows “her arms lifted against the image of a bird in flight and a rising sun alongside the U.S .motto “E Pluribus Unum,” meaning “out of many, one”.

Both of these artists are experts in this niche area. But as Pigment International continues to explore what art sits in the “public square of the future” who creates these images is of equal import. Having a connection to the creation is tantamount. Many of the Black artists I know are also meticulous researchers and would have knocked this out of the park. And, as my college girlfriend pointed out, what’s up with having George Washington on the back? It’s pretty clear the U.S. Mint did not focus group these coins. Is it too soon to have Obama on the coin? I think not.

We have been remiss in taking so long to celebrate the greatness of the women who helped shape our country. Yet what I know for sure is that Black, Hispanic, Native and Asian artists would have welcomed an opportunity to be a part of this historic salute. And where my $20 bill at?