The U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters Program now has four African-American women gracing the backside of circulating quarters.
The multi-year effort to place notable women on the backs of coins now has Maya Angelou (2022), Bessie Coleman (2023), Rev. Dr. Paul Murray (2024), and Ida B. Wells (2025) joining the ranks. These designs have been released into general circulation and through Mint sales aimed at collectors.
Keep reading to learn more about this incredible program and unforgettable women.
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Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act
The American Women Quarters Program was authorized through the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. The act directed the Treasury and the Mint to issue up to five different quarter reverses each year from 2022 through 2025.
It also includes a special semiquincentennial design linked to 2026 observances. The quarters aim to expand stories told about circulating coins beyond traditional figures.
Maya Angelou Quarter
The Maya Angelou quarter was released in 2022. Angelou was a writer and civil rights figure, and is portrayed on the quarter with arms uplifted, with a bird in flight and a rising sun in the background. The imagery is inspired by Angelou’s work and public life.
The coin’s obverse side, as with all others in this article, uses the Laura Gardin Fraser portrait of George Washington.
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Bessie Coleman Quarter
In 2023, the program featured Bessie Coleman. A pioneering aviator, in 1921, Coleman became the first African-American and first Native American woman to earn an international pilot’s license. Coleman is clothed in traditional flight gear with a Curtiss JN-4 biplane soaring in the clouds in the background.
Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray Quarter
2024’s release recognized the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Her career spanned many circles, from scholarship, law, activism, and the Episcopal priesthood. Murray earned a Doctor of Juridical Science from Yale in 1965, and is presented on the quarter with a spectacled portrait set within the word “HOPE.”
The design was chosen to reflect Murray’s writing and civil rights legacy.
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Ida B. Wells Quarter
This year, Ida B. Wells gets her recognition, known for her long-lasting work as a journalist, educator, suffragist, and anti-lynching activist. The design features Wells gazing forward and identifies her roles in the inscriptions around the edge of the quarter.
As with all of the other quarters, the Mint offers both circulation strikes and collector-focused rolls and bags of each design.
How the Quarters Came to Be
According to the regional report, the project was launched in part by legislation put forward by former Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who championed the Coin Redesign Act of 2020.
The act created a schedule and framework to feature those from a range of fields, including suffrage, civil rights, government, the humanities, science, and the arts, while also featuring geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity.
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How to Collect Them
There are two ways to collect these coins. They will appear in everyday pocket change, and the Mint will also sell rolls, 100-coin bags, and other numismatic products through its website.
Avid collectors who prefer guaranteed condition or specific mint marks can purchase these products, while more casual collectors can enjoy the new designs in circulation. You can also learn more about each honoree through the Mint’s website.
The American Women Quarters Program
The American Women Quarters Program aims to bring lesser-known but still influential figures into everyday view. This new series has also prompted interest among educators and collectors to use the coins as a gateway to history lessons about civil rights, women’s suffrage, and scientific and artistic achievement.
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If you want to learn more specifics about the coins, release dates, or a particular mint mark, check out the U.S. Mint’s website to find all the up-to-date information on each coin.
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