The American Women Quarters Program is an initiative implemented by the U.S. Mint to recognize trailblazing women throughout history. From 2022 to 2025, the U.S. Mint will issue up to five new reverse designs each year highlighting a woman who has made great contributions to the United States. The program will be showcasing a variety of diverse women from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. The selections will also focus on various accomplishments in suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space and the arts. The women honored for the 2022 collection will include Maya Angelou, Dr. Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Nina Otero-Warren and Anna May Wong.
As an author, poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou made tremendous strides throughout her lifetime. She became best known for her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings which she published in 1969. The autobiography discusses Angelou’s early life and explores personal traumas as well as experiences with racism. The memoir made history as the first nonfiction bestseller by a Black woman. Despite its high praise, it still received criticism from school boards for its dark content manner. Angelou crafted an extensive writing collection, consisting of 36 books, dozens of poems and even a few cookbooks. Angelou’s talents were versatile, and she starred in off-Broadway productions and produced music. She also ventured into film, becoming the first Black woman to have her screenplay Georgia Georgia turned into a film. Now, with the introduction of the American Women’s Quarter Program, Angelou will continue to make history by becoming the first Black woman to appear on the U.S. quarter.
Dr. Sally Ride was the first American woman to fly into space. At the time of her mission, she was also the youngest American in space at 32 years old. During her STS-7 mission, Ride acted as a flight engineer and was in charge of launching two satellites and operating the shuttle’s mechanical arm. She was also a part of the monumental STS-41G mission which was the first space mission to consist of two women crew members. Apart from her contributions to NASA, Ride was passionate about furthering education for young women interested in math and sciences. She co-founded Sally Ride Science, a non-profit organization intended to help children from all different backgrounds become involved in STEM fields. Ride also became greatly involved in academia to further space research, taking a role as the Director of the California Space Science Institute and a physics professor at the University of California. After her passing in 2012, Ride’s obituary referenced Tam O’Shaughnessy as her partner of 27 years, making Ride the first acknowledged lesbian astronaut.
Wilma Mankiller was the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. As part of her work with the Cherokee Nation, Mankiller founded the Community Development Department which helped implement community water systems and housing in Oklahoma. She was the first woman deputy chief of the Cherokee and was later elected in 1987 to become the first woman chief. Four years later, she was re-elected as chief and won in a landslide decision. Under her leadership, the population of the tribe’s enrollment tripled and employment doubled. On top of this, infant mortality rates climbed and educational achievement rose. She also helped to create rural health centers and a center for drug abuse prevention. Because of the great strides made with the Cherokee Nation, Mankiller was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Bill Clinton. This award is the highest honor a civilian can receive.
Nina Otero-Warren was a fierce advocate for the women’s suffrage movement in New Mexico. As head of the New Mexico chapter of the Congressional Unit, much of her activism focused on creating suffrage literature published in both English and Spanish. With the incorporation of bilingual literature, the movement was able to gain more support by reaching a Hispanic population. She was also an active lobbyist for the ratification of the 19th amendment. In 1918, Otero-Warren became the first woman to be superintendent of the Sante Fe public school system. As superintendent, she continued to stress the importance of bilingual education, which was especially rare during the time of assimilation in America. As the U.S. government became persistent in assimilating non-white citizens and forcing a loss of traditional language and customs, Otero-Warren continued to advocate for Spanish to be allowed in schools. Otero-Warren would also become the first Hispanic woman to run for Congress, earning the Republication nomination in 1922, although she later lost the general election.
On the fifth and final quarter of the 2022 release, Anna May Wong will be featured. Wong was the first Chinese American film star, appearing in over 60 movies. As part of a great film renaissance, Wong appeared in both silent films and the first feature-length Technicolor film The Toll of the Sea, which also happened to be her first leading role. Throughout her career, she consistently auditioned for leading roles, but the discrimination she faced in Hollywood forced her into supporting roles. Often, she was expected to play offensive Asian characters that were typical for the time. And, due to anti-miscegenation laws, the U.S. prohibited the marriage of interracial couples, which prevented interracial actors from kissing on camera. Realizing that her talents would not be utilized within Hollywood, Wong moved to Europe to continue her film career, where she starred in several successful movies. Later on, she would return to the United States and become the first Asian American to lead a U.S. television series known as The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong. On Oct. 24, the U.S. Mint began distributing Wong’s quarter, making her the first Asian-American to appear on U.S. currency.
Different in many ways, the women being featured in this program find unity in their ability to have contributed to their country in amazing ways. As the quarters make their way into circulation, be on the lookout for these special coins.
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