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All about the US Mint and some lesser-known facts
The U.S. Mint, the government agency responsible for making coins, has had a long and storied history. Here's a look at what it does and some things you may not have known.
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Mint has announced five new women who will be circulated on quarters in 2024.
The American Women Quarters Program, a four-year program by the agency, celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of women in the United States.
The program, which began in 2022 and continues through 2025, issues up to five new designs each year. The obverse of each coin maintains a likeness of George Washington but is different from the design used during the previous quarter program.
The Secretary of the Treasury selects the honorees following consultation with the Smithsonian Institution’s American Women’s History Initiative, the National Women’s History Museum, and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus.
The American Women Quarters feature contributions from a variety of fields including civil rights, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts. The women honored are also from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds.
Previously, notable women including Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt and Bessie Coleman were featured.
Examples of two 2024 designs. (U.S. Mint / Getty Images)
Below is a list of women who will be featured in 2024.
Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray
Pauli Murray is a poet, writer, activist, lawyer and Episcopal priest.
According to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, Murray was first in her class at Howard University Law school and the only woman.
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She was also the first African American to earn a J.S.D. from Yale Law School and a co-founder of the National Organization for Women.
In 1977, Murray became the first African American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.
Patsy Takemoto Mink
Patsy Takemoto Mink become the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress, according to the National Women’s History Museum.
In addition to writing bills like Title IX, the Early Childhood Education Act, and the Women's Educational Equity Act, Mink was the first Asian-American to run for U.S. President.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker
In all of United States history, there has only been one woman to receive the Medal of Honor. Mary Edwards Walker is that woman.
As a surgeon, women’s rights advocate, abolitionist, and spy, Walker became the first female U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War.
In 2012, Walker’s hometown unveiled a 900-pound bronze statue in honor of her contributions.
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz, often called the Queen of Salsa, brought visibility to Black Caribbean expression, experience, and history, according to National Park Service.
In a male-dominated field, her popularity demonstrated that Afro Caribbean women were powerful in salsa music.
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Cruz's achievements have been recognized with many honors and awards, including twenty-three gold albums, three Grammy Awards, four Latin Grammy Awards, and the President's National Medal of Arts. On February 15, 2016, she was honored at the Grammys with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
Zitkála-Šá
Zitkála-Šá was a Native American musician, writer and activist who fought for women's suffrage and Indigenous voting rights in the early 20th century.
Her writings and activism led to citizenship and voting rights for, not only women, but all Indigenous people.
Obverse Design
According to U.S. Mint, the obverse of each American Women Quarters coin features a portrait of George Washington facing right, originally composed and sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser.
It was the recommended design for the 1932 quarter to mark Washington’s 200th birthday, but then-Treasury Secretary Mellon ultimately selected the left-facing John Flanagan design.
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Laura Gardin Fraser was one of the most prolific women sculptors of the early 20th century. She designed the Alabama Centennial Half Dollar in 1921, becoming the first woman to design a U.S. coin. The Mint used her George Washington design on a 1999 gold commemorative coin marking the 200th anniversary of Washington’s death.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.