The U.S. Mint has announced five new historic figures whose faces will appear on the 2023 quarters. The spotlight is a part of a four-year program to honor the historic contributions and achievements of women pioneers, reports Afro Tech.
Maya Angelou was one of the first to appear under the American Women Quarters Program. She joined Dr. Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Nina Otero-Warren and Anna May Wong.
One of the new honorees is Bessie Coleman. The Texas native, who was sometimes referred to as “The Only Race Aviatrix in the World,” became the first African-American woman and Native American to acquire a pilot license. She rose to notoriety after performing dangerous air shows throughout the nation.
The late pilot will be joined by Edith Kanakaʻole, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jovita Idar and Maria Tallchief, who will also be featured in next year’s quarters.
The women were selected by the Secretary of the Treasury following a debriefing with the Smithsonian Institution’s American Women’s History Initiative, the National Women’s History Museum and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus.
