I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 247 

To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Maya Angelou in 

recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture 

and the civil rights movement. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2015 

Mrs. BEATTY (for herself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 

DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, and Mr. FOSTER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Maya 

Angelou in recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture and the civil rights movement. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Maya Angelou Con5 gressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds that: 


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1 (1) Dr. Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Ann 

2 Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928, 

3 and raised in Arkansas, was a prominent and cele4 brated author, poet, educator, producer, actress, 

5 filmmaker, and civil rights activist. 

6 (2) Dr. Maya Angelou published a myriad of 

7 literary works enshrining in history her storied life 

8 as an icon of the civil rights movement. 

9 (3) Hailed for her talents as a performing artist 

10 at an early age, Dr. Maya Angelou toured Europe 

11 with a production of the Gershwin opera ‘‘Porgy 

12 And Bess’’ in 1955 and released her first album in 

13 1957. 

14 (4) Committed to furthering the work of Dr. 

15 Martin Luther King, Dr. Maya Angelou served as a 

16 leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Con17 ference during the Civil Rights Movement. 

18 (5) In 1969, Dr. Maya Angelou penned the 

19 autobiography ‘‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’’, 

20 which catapulted her to international acclaim for its 

21 vivid and honest depiction of the experience of Black 

22 women in the Jim Crow era. 

23 (6) Dr. Maya Angelou wrote the screenplay and 

24 composed the score for the 1972 film ‘‘Georgia, 


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1 Georgia’’; her script was the first by an African2 American woman to be filmed. 

3 (7) Dr. Maya Angelou was the first African4 American to serve as an Inaugural Poet, authoring 

5 and reciting the poem ‘‘Pulse of Morning’’ in 1993. 

6 (8) A trailblazer in literature and poetry, Dr. 

7 Maya Angelou bravely explored the ways in which 

8 socially marginalizing forces affected African-Amer9 ican women. 

10 (9) Dr. Maya Angelou was honored with the 

11 Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, the Lincoln 

12 Medal in 2008, and the National Medal of Arts in 

13 2000 for her exceptional contributions to American 

14 culture as an author and poet. 

15 (10) As a distinguished educator, Dr. Maya 

16 Angelou received over 30 honorary degrees and 

17 served as the Reynolds Professor of American Stud18 ies at Wake Forest University from 1982 to 2014. 

19 (11) Dr. Maya Angelou passed away on May 

20 28, 2014, in her North Carolina home at age 86, 

21 leaving behind a legacy of literary achievement and 

22 an indelible mark on the movement for civil rights. 

23 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

24 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

25 the House of Representatives and the President pro temVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Jan 15, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H247.IH H247

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1 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

2 for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, 

3 of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration 

4 of Dr. Maya Angelou in recognition of her achievements 

5 and contributions to American culture and the civil rights 

6 movement. 

7 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the 

8 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

9 of the Treasury (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the 

10 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em11 blems, devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the 

12 Secretary. 

13 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 

15 gold medal in honor of Dr. Maya Angelou under 

16 subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the 

17 Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available 

18 for display as appropriate and made available for re19 search. 

20 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

21 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution shall 

22 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

23 available for display, particularly at the National 

24 Museum of African American History and Culture, 

25 or for loan as appropriate so that it may be disVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:35 Jan 15, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H247.IH H247

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1 played elsewhere, particularly at other appropriate 

2 locations associated with the life of Dr. Maya 

3 Angelou. 

4 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

5 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

6 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 

7 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at 

8 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 

9 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 

10 and the cost of the gold medal. 

11 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

12 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 

13 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

14 of title 31, United States Code. 

15 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

16 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

17 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

18 items. 

Æ 


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