"The fifth coin in our American Women Quarters Program honors Anna May Wong, a courageous advocate who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors," Mint Director Ventris Gibson said.Īuthor and civil rights champion Maya Angelou and astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space, have also been honored with coins in the series. television show for her role in "The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong" in 1951.ĭespite her success, Wong faced anti-Asian discrimination and racism in Hollywood where she was typecast, underpaid and passed up for leading roles, forcing her to go to Europe to act in films, and to London and New York to perform in theater. She became the first Asian American lead actor in a U.S. She went on to appear in more than 60 films including one of the first movies made in Technicolor. She was cast in her first role as an extra in the film "The Red Lantern" in 1919 at age 14 and her first leading role in 1922 in the "The Toll of the Sea." Wong was born in 1905 in Los Angeles as Wong Liu Tsong.
#FIRST AMERICAN COINS MOVIE#
"Along with the hard work, determination and skill Anna May Wong brought to the profession of acting, I think it was her face and expressive gestures that really captivated movie audiences, so I included these elements," said Mint designer Emily Damstra, who helped create the coin. Mint will feature an Asian American on its currency for the first time when it issues a coin next week engraved with the image of actress Anna May Wong, who worked in Hollywood during a time of open racism and stereotyping.Ī quarter-dollar coin featuring a profile of Wong with her signature bangs and long fingernails will begin circulating on Tuesday as part of the American Women Quarters Program, the U.S. The agency will issue four other quarters this year, with the others honoring Sally Ride, an astronaut who was the first American woman in space Asian American actress Anna May Wong Cherokee Nation leader Wilma Mankiller and suffragette and politician Nina Otero-Warren.The U.S.
The bureau welcomed entries of women known for their work in civil rights, science and the arts, among other areas, with an emphasis on women from “ethnically, racially and geographically diverse backgrounds.” The only requirement was that the women who appear on the coins must be deceased. The US Mint invited the public to submit names of women they view as American icons. “Proud to have led this bill to honor their legacies.” “The phenomenal women who shaped American history have gone unrecognized for too long – especially women of color,” Lee said in a tweet. Lee introduced the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which passed in January 2021 and ultimately paved the way for the creation of these new coins. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat, with the achievement.
This mint is still the most popular mint in modern times and is running strong. Lawmakers cheered the release of the new coin on Monday and credited Rep. The Philadelphia Mint was also the first mint created by this law and the first coin was minted 5 months later when the building was built. The new coin still features George Washington’s visage on the “heads” side, while the “tails” side honors Angelou by evoking one of her most famous works, the autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Writer Maya Angelou attends the memorial celebration for Odetta at Riverside Church on February 24, 2009, in New York City.
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