In mid-April of this year, the United States Mint announced a new quarter program for 2022 featuring American women. The program, introduced as the American Women Quarters Program, will begin its four-year venture starting in January of 2022 and is aimed at honoring highly regarded women from American history while honoring their achievements and contributions on the reverse side of the quarter dollars. Along with the program’s initial announcement came the unveiling of the first two women to be honored: writer Maya Angelou and astronaut Dr. Sally Ride.
The Mint has now released the names of the three remaining women to be honored in the first year. The first is Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She was also an avid activist for Native American and women’s rights. The second is Adelina Otero-Warren, a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement. She was also the first female superintendent of the Santa Fe public school system. Lastly, Anna May Wong was named to round out the first year of women to be honored. She was the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. Despite discrimination and racism, she perservered and became an international star.
Authorized under Public Law 116-330, or the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, the Mint will issue both circulating quarters and numismatic quarters with reverses depicting the outstanding accomplishments of well-known and reputable American women starting in January of 2022. According to United States Mint Director David J. Ryder, “the American Women Quarters Program is a unique opportunity to honor a broad and diverse group of women whose achievements, triumphs, and legacies reflect the strength and resilience of our Nation. We look forward to sharing their stories.”
While the reverse will feature these incredible women, the obverse will still feature the likeness of George Washington but will be designed a little differently to discern it from the current depiction of the first President of the United States. The coinage program will begin in 2022 and the Mint will issue five coins per year through 2025.
In addition, the public has been invited to submit recommendations for future women to be honored on the quarter dollar reverse. The National Women’s History Museum has a web portal set up via this link: https://forms.gle/3BgR3BLbFfJ69XdYA.
Public Law 116-330 also states that the Secretary of the Treasury will select the women to be honored amidst recommendations and consultations with the Smithsonian Institution’s American History Initiative, the National Women’s History Museum, and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus.
Source: United States Mint