While a handful of women have appeared on coins and special-edition bills throughout the years – Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea and Helen Keller, for example – the number of women featured on U.S. currency is about to be significantly expanded.
Beginning in 2022 and continuing through 2025, the U.S. Mint will issue up to five new quarter designs each year featuring historically prominent women. Here are the women being honored in 2022.
Maya Angelou
Celebrated author and poet Maya Angelou is most well-known for her autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” The book was named as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 best and most influential non-fiction books.
A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Angelou also worked with Dr. Martin Luther King as a coordinator for his organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She was also the first African-American woman to read an original poem at a presidential inauguration.
Dr. Sally Ride
The first American woman in space, astronaut Dr. Sally Ride inspired generations of girls to pursue careers in science and technology. Ride flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983 and 1984.
In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded her a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. After her death, it was revealed that Ride was a lesbian, making her the first LGBTQ person to appear on a US quarter.
Wilma Mankiller
As the Principal Chief of the Cherokee, Wilma Mankiller is the first woman ever elected chief of a major Native American tribe. She oversaw the growth of the Cherokee nation from 68,000 members to 170,000.
Ms. Magazine named Wilma Woman of the year in 1987, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.
Nina Otero-Warren
One of the few Hispanic suffragists in history, Nina Otero-Warren helped publish suffragist literature in Spanish, encouraging Hispanic women to vote. She also served as chairman for the Board of Health in New Mexico, was a board member for the American Red Cross and was the Inspector of Indian Schools for Santa Fe County, overseeing the schools for Native American children.
Anna May Wong
As the first Chinese-American movie star in Hollywood, Anna May Wong paved the way for countless other Asian actors. She acted in Broadway plays and both American and European films. Anna was also a fashion icon and was once named the world’s best-dressed woman.
She appeared in movies and plays with acting legends like Laurence Olivier, Douglas Fairbanks and Marlene Dietrich. Though Hollywood remained a hostile environment for people of color during her time, Wong stood up against Chinese stereotypes and advocated for fairer portrayals.
This post on TessMore Finance: American Women Quarters Program was also published on MintLife Blog.
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