Michelle Obama Praises Maya Angelou As 1st Black Woman On The Quarter

Michelle Obama took to social media to celebrate the impeccable achievement of legendary black icon Maya Angelou.

The "Letter To My Daughter" writer recently made history as the first black woman cast on U.S. currency. 

The former First Lady of the United States is over the moon about the news and got candid about how much she admires the late political activist.

On Wednesday, January 12, Michelle posted a heartwarming tribute to Angelou on her Instagram page following her historic feat.

In a photo, the "Becoming" author stood on a podium while Angelou's face was cast on a screen behind her. She gushed in her captions:

"What a fitting tribute to have Dr. Maya Angelou become the first Black woman on the U.S. quarter—she was a phenomenal woman whose comfort in her own skin made so many of us feel seen in ours."

Michelle also made mention of the Pulitzer Prize winner's renowned poetry collection, which was released in 1995 and titled "Phenomenal Woman." 

The spouse to the former U.S. President recounted being struck by the affirming power of Angelou's words the first time she read her book. 

Michelle praised the "And Still I Rise" writer for how she celebrated a Black woman's beauty like no one had ever dared to before."

The "American Grown" author wrote that in a singular poem, Angelou spoke to women's essence and "uncovered our hope, our pain, our ambition, our fear."

Michelle concluded by acknowledging that the "I Shall Not Be Moved" poet earned her place on the series of U.S. Quarters.

The political activist concluded her tribute by writing that Angelou "knew us in a way that no one else did, and she deserves this incredible honor."

Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928, Angelou achieved several feats before passing away on May 28, 2014, at age 86.

The essayist earned a Tony Award nomination after an electric performance of  "Look Away" in 1963, even though her show was closed on Broadway after only a performance.

At the presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1993, Angelou read her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" and became the second poet to read a poem at a presidential inauguration. 

Robert Frost is the first poet to achieve the history feat at John F. Kennedy's presidential inauguration in 1961. He recited his poem "The Gift Outright."

Nevertheless, the "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" poet was the first woman to recite at a presidential inauguration and, now, the first black woman on the U.S. Quarter.

The Obamas have a love that spanned a period of humble beginnings to an arguably stellar term in office and is still burning strong to date.

The Blast revealed that the lovebirds who tied the knot in Chicago on October 3, 1992, uploaded heartwarming messages to each other on their 29th anniversary.

The 44th U.S. President updated his Instagram account with two present-day images of him and his wife. In the first image, they embraced each other on a couch.

In the second, Barack, who shares two daughters, Malia Obama, 23, and Sasha Obama, 20, with Michelle held her waist while they stared intently out a window.

Even sweeter than the photos was the loving husband's caption where he showered his spouse with many praises over her many accolades.

Barack expressed that he has loved watching the world get to know the Harvard Law School alum. He ended his love note with, “my best friend. I can’t imagine life without you.”

The wife to the former President marked one year short of three decades with her spouse by walking down memory lane in a touching Instagram post.

Michelle updated her followers with a throwback photo of her and Barack and a present-day collage of them. In the old picture, the young couple could be seen in a sweet embrace while seated comfortably on a couch.

The recent photo mirrored the throwback and was the same as Barack's first post. Michelle took to her captions with a heartfelt message of her own.

The mother-of-two recounted their progress as a couple by penning, “How it started vs. how it’s going. Happy anniversary, Barack—love you!”