June 10, 2021

Congresswoman Lee Applauds Announcement of Three Additional Honorees In the American Women Quarters Program

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) today applauded the United States Mint for announcing the names of the three additional women to be honored on coins issued under the American Women Quarters Program:  

  • Wilma Mankiller – the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and an activist for Native American and women’s rights; 
  • Adelina Otero-Warren – a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement and the first female superintendent of Santa Fe public schools; and 
  • Anna May Wong – the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, achieving international success despite racism and discrimination. 

The United States Mint implemented the new four-year program as authorized by the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, bipartisan legislation introduced by Congresswoman Lee along with Representatives Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Deb Fischer (R-NE), which was recently signed into law.

“For too long, many of the women who have contributed to our country’s history have gone unrecognized, especially women of color,” said Congresswoman Lee. “I am pleased to see three additional outstanding artists and activists recognized. They continue to inspire future generations of women and women of color to carry on their legacy.

Designs reflecting the achievements of Mankiller, Otero-Warren, and Wong, along with those of celebrated author Maya Angelou and trailblazing astronaut Dr. Sally Ride, will be featured on circulating and numismatic American Women Quarters Program coins beginning in 2022. 

Authorized by Public Law 116-330—the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020—the American Women Quarters Program will feature coins with reverse (tails) designs emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of prominent American women. Contributions may come from a wide spectrum of fields including, but not limited to, suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts. The women honored will come from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds. As required by the Public Law, no living person will be featured in the coin designs, and thus all the women honored must be deceased. The Mint will issue up to five coins with different reverse designs annually over the four-year period from 2022 through 2025. 

The obverse (heads) of coins in the American Women Quarters Program will continue to feature a likeness of George Washington designed in a manner to distinguish it from the current image. 

As stipulated by the Public Law, the Secretary of the Treasury selects the women to be honored following consultation with the Smithsonian Institution’s American Women’s History Initiative, the National Women’s History Museum, and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus.  

The public is invited to submit recommendations for women to be honored via the following web portal established by the National Women’s History Museum: https://forms.gle/3BgR3BLbFfJ69XdYA.  

The Mint will release additional details about the American Women Quarters Program in the coming months. 

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