By Conway Jones
Oakland Post
For the last four years, the U.S. Mint issued five new quarters each year with an American woman on the reverse side.
Former Rep. Barbara Lee, (D-Calif.-12), introduced the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-330), which passed in January 2021 and ultimately paved the way for the creation of these new coins under The American Women Quarters Program™.
The American Women Quarters Program™ celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women to the development and history of our country. Beginning in 2022, and continuing through 2024, the U.S. Mint issued five new reverse designs each year. Five quarters will be issued in 2025 under this program.
The American Women Quarters feature contributions from women in a variety of fields, including, but not limited to suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space and the arts. The women honored are from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds.
Four quarters minted in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively, acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of African-American women.
Maya Angelou was a celebrated writer, performer and social activist. She was acclaimed as one of America’s most visible Black women. Angelou had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood’s first female Black director, but became famous as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright and poet.
Bessie Coleman was the first African American and first Native American woman pilot. She was the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license. She traveled to Le Crotoy, France, in 1920 to attend an aviation school. She was the only student of color in her class.
The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School with a doctor of juridical science degree in 1965. A true trailblazer, Pauli Murray was a scholar, activist, writer and Episcopal priest who was an important yet often overlooked figure in the civil and women’s rights movements.
Ida B. Wells was an educator, journalist, suffragist and civil rights activist. She fought for justice and equality and used her powerful voice to expose violence against African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
These quarters are in circulation. They can also be purchased from the U.S. Mint.
This story was republished with permission from the Oakland Post. The original story can be found at this link: https://www.postnewsgroup.com/week-of-aprol-30-may-6-2025/ .