The faces of two prominent Black women in American history will appear on coins in 2025.
Ida B. Wells and Althea Gibson are among The United States Mint’s honorees for the 2025 American Women Quarters Program, which is in its fourth and final year. According to a press release, the historic program includes coins with reverse (tails) designs honoring the achievements and services of American women.
“I am pleased to announce the final five of the 20 remarkable women we have featured in the American Women Quarters Program,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson. “It’s a privilege for the Mint to connect America through coins, and to tell our nation’s story through honoring the women in this amazing program.”
Wells was an investigative journalist and civil rights activist who helped establish the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The trailblazer spoke out against lynching and other social injustices against Black people. Despite receiving threats, she traveled worldwide, highlighting state-sanctioned violence.
Gibson was a groundbreaking multi-sport athlete who broke the color barrier at the highest level of tennis, winning 11 Grand Slam titles before the end of the 1950s.
She’s been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. Gibson did not stop at just one sport, becoming the first Black player to compete on the Women’s Professional Golf Tour.
The coins will also feature Juliette Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts of America in Savannah, Georgia, on March 12, 1912; Dr. Vera Rubin, a trailblazing astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation; and Stacey Park Milbern, an influential activist for people with disabilities.
The Mint will unveil designs for the 2025 honoree quarters next year.
Public Law 116-330 authorizes the American Women Quarters Program. Suffrage, civil rights, governance, abolition, humanities, science, and the arts are among the accomplishments and areas represented by the diverse collection of women honored.
“The pioneering women we have recognized are among the many in our nation’s history who have made significant contributions and championed change in their own unique way,” Gibson added.
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