Back in October, the United States Mint announced the honorees for the fourth and final year of the history-making American Women Quarters Program. Set to be featured on the 2025-dated coins, the five women exemplify and are emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions made by American women.
“It’s a privilege for the Mint to connect America through coins, and to tell our nation’s story through honoring the women in this amazing program,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson. “The pioneering women we have recognized are among the many in our nation’s history who have made significant contributions and championed change in their own unique way.”
Reverse designs are selected through a process as set forth by Public Law 116-130 in which the Secretary of the Treasury selects the women to be honored after consulting with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, the National Women’s History Museum, and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus. The official designs for the 2025 quarter dollars will be revealed in 2024.
Ida B. Wells
Ahead of her time, Ida B. Wells was a suffragist, civil rights activist, and investigative journalist. Using her voice to speak out against and investigate lynching and other social injustices against Black people, she also co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Wells traveled across the country and overseas to bring to light state-sanctioned violence despite being in danger herself. In addition to her work for civil rights, she was an active member in the women’s club and suffrage movements and would later get involved in social work in the growing city of Chicago.
Juliette Gordon Low
Desiring an organization that girls, regardless of their background and differences, could have access to where they could develop leadership and advocacy skills to better their lives is why Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts organization in America on March 12, 1912. She spent her life promoting and growing the Girl Scouts to an international level, making it what it is today with nearly two million adult and girl members worldwide. Low also founded a movement that prepared girls for leadership eight years before women gained the right to vote in the United States. With it she emphasized civic responsibility and motivated girls to make their communities a better place through commitment to service.
Dr. Vera Rubin
A revolutionary astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation, Dr. Vera Rubin’s observations were the first persuasive evidence of dark matter which was a major scientific discovery that would transform our understanding of the universe. Dr. Rubin’s work in the 1970s confirmed that the vast majority of the mass in the universe is invisible. Prior to her contribution, Rubin would struggle as a female astronomer in the male dominated field. She would fight to break down those barriers throughout her whole career, researching the sexism women faced. In addition, she mentored other women in the field of astronomy and fight for gender parity in science, pushing for representation of women on scientific committees, as professors, and as conference speakers.
Stacey Park Milbern
Born with congenital muscular dystrophy, Stacey Park Milbern was introduced to disability rights history as a young adult where she would find her sense of community and passion for activism. This would lead to her career as a visionary leader and powerful activist for those with disabilities. Milbern was appointed to the statewide Independent Living Council and Commission for the Blind by the Governor of North Carolina where she was a crucial part of the writing and passage of the North Carolina law requiring that disability curriculum be taught in schools. She co-founded the disability framework that focused on serving marginalized communities and directly supported people with disabilities through the transition from institutional care to living independently. Milbern’s speeches and online writings would inspire inclusiveness, interdependence, and empowerment and in 2014, President Obama would appoint her to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
Althea Gibson
As the first black athlete to break the color barrier at the highest level in tennis, Althea Gibson was a pioneering multi-athlete who accomplished a long list of firsts throughout her career. Gibson won 11 Grand Slam titles by the end of the 1950s as a singles and doubles competitor, including multiple championships at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the French Open. In 1958 she was voted the Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to her success as a tennis athlete, Gibson also became the first Black player to compete in the Women’s Professional Golf Tour.
Source: United States Mint