Every four years, the American Women Quarters Program introduces 5 new designs for the U.S. Mint. The American women featured on the 2022 quarters will be Maya Angelou, Dr. Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Nina Otero-Warren, and Anna May Wong. But, what makes these women so significant?
Maya Angelou: The renowned author is known for her strides for social justice. Angelou’s quarter is the first coin in the American Women Quarters program.
“Angelou’s remarkable career encompasses dance, theater, journalism, and social activism,” The U.S. Mint stated. “She appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway plays, including “Cabaret for Freedom,” which she wrote with Godfrey Cambridge. At the request of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she served as northern coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1978, she was a National Book Award judge for biography and autobiography.”
Dr. Sally Ride: Dr. Ride’s quarter acknowledges the astronaut’s historic missions in space.
“When she blasted off aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983, Ride became the first American woman – and, at 32, the youngest American – in space,” the U.S. Mint stated. “During the six days of mission STS-7, she deployed and retrieved a satellite with the shuttle’s robotic arm. Her second shuttle flight, STS-41G, made history as the first space mission with two female crew members.”
After her spaceflight, Ride used her platform to encourage education for women in STEM.
Wilma Mankiller: Mankiller was the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Mankiller was born in the Cherokee Nation, but moved to California where she faced poverty and racism. Mankiller returned to the Cherokee Nation and worked her way to the principal chief.
“After Mankiller returned to the Cherokee Nation in 1977, she founded the Community Development Department for the Cherokee Nation,” the U.S. Mint stated. “She led the creation of community water systems and rehabilitation of houses during the administration of Principal Chief Ross Swimmer. In 1983, Swimmer named Mankiller his running mate in his bid for re-election. When they won, Mankiller became the first woman elected deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation. After Swimmer left office to lead the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, she became principal chief.”
Nina Otero-Warren: Otero-Warren was a leader of the suffrage movement in New Mexico. Among her efforts, she fought for improving education and incorporating students’ cultures in the classroom.
“Otero-Warren emphasized the necessity of using the Spanish language in the suffrage fight in order to reach Hispanic women,” the U.S. Mint stated. “She also spearheaded the lobbying effort to ratify the 19th Amendment in New Mexico.”
Anna May Wong: Though facing racism, Wong was the first Chinese Hollywood film star.
“Wong appeared in more than 60 movies throughout her career,” the U.S. Mint stated. “In addition to her roles in silent films, television, and stage, she landed a role in one of the first movies made in Technicolor.”
The actions of these women set the stage for the rights of women and students today. There are limited quantities of each coin, sign up to receive these coins on the U.S. Mint website, usmint.gov.
