Lydia Glenn

News Editor

lmg5921@psu.edu

The U.S. Mint has recently announced the next five women to appear on the backs of coins as part of the American Women Quarters Program, and honestly, it’s about time. 

These new and improved coins will feature aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman; journalist and suffragist Jovita Idar; composer, chanter, dancer and entertainer Edith Kanaka’ole; author, reformer and leader Eleanor Roosevelt; and America’s first prima ballerina Maria Tallchief. 

The program was designed to highlight the accomplishments of female trailblazers from different eras in American history. 

Unfortunately, U.S. Mint law requires that anyone on a coin must be deceased, which is a very strange and particular law. So, all of the women chosen for coins are all deceased. 

This will be the second iteration of a series the mint will be issuing with different reverse designs each year during a four-year span from 2022 through 2025. 

The presence of women on coins is exciting news, why these women cannot be permanently featured on coins is unknown. I feel this change to coins should not only run a three-year course. Why is it that the government is so resistant to change to faces on coins? It seems like a small thing they can give to women for the thousands of years of oppression. 

The Mint Deputy Director Ventris Gibson stated, “The range of accomplishments and experiences of these extraordinary women speak to the contributions women have always made in the history of our country. I am proud that the Mint continues to connect America through coins by honoring these pioneering women and their groundbreaking contributions to our society.”

The previous batch of coins, which was the first batch, featured poet Maya Angelou; astronaut Sally Ride; actress Anna May Wong; suffragist and politician Nina Otero-Warren; and the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Wilma Mankiller whose last name I wish I had. 

I think it is about time the nation starts honoring hard-working, trail-blazing women rather than old, male, white dead presidents. Although I am glad to see this finally happening, it should have happened much sooner than the twenty-first century. 

Waiting this long to put faces of women who sacrificed everything to secure women’s rights or pursued an actual career path is a bit of a slap in the face. This small amount of recognition should have happened a long time ago. 

On the front of these new coins, there will be a portrait of George Washington. The portrait was originally composed and sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser. She was passed over for her work when it was originally submitted in 1932 for the quarter. 

Although I am grateful this female artist is finally having her work featured, I am disappointed that the U.S. Mint would still put George Washington’s face on the front of these quarters that are supposed to be recognizing women throughout history. I would personally not like to see this slave owning white man on coins anymore. But if that is the price we have to pay to feature women who actually deserve recognition, then we will just have to deal.