More Than Money

United States Mint

POETRY FOR INCLUSION

I was ecstatic when I leaned the news that the late iconic poet and social activist Maya Angelou would be featured on United States currency. It allowed me to reflect on one of my favorite quotes by her, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel.” May we feel her presence every time we hold this coin that symbolizes her life of service, advocacy, and her relentless pursuit of justice.

I decided to write a haiku honoring her legacy and this historic moment.

A regal quarter

Heaven smiles for Angelou

The caged bird is free

Dr Clark is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate and clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville. He served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, and he currently serves as the Diversity and Inclusion section editor and advisory board member for Psychiatric Times^TM.