The U.S. Mint announced five women who will be featured on next year’s quarters, including the late Patsy Takemoto Mink, who was the first woman of color to serve in Congress.

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Mint announced five women who will be featured on next year’s quarters, including the late Patsy Takemoto Mink

  • Mink was the first woman of color to serve in Congress and a lead author of Title IX

  • In 2021, U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the U.S. Mint to include Mink

  • The U.S. Mint said the other women featured on next year’s new quarters are Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Pauli Murray, Zitkala-Ša and Celia Cruz

Mink was a third-generation Japanese-American, who was born and raised on Maui. She served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 24 years. 

The late U.S. Representative is remembered for passing Title IX, which was later renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. The law prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or education program that receives federal funding from the government. 

In 2021, U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the U.S. Mint to include Mink, as well as the late Edith Kanakaʻole, a Native Hawaiian hula teacher, who is featured on this year’s quarters.  

“Patsy Mink was a champion for social justice, equality, and civil rights — she was a trailblazer in every sense of the word,” said Hirono in a release. “As the first woman of color to serve in Congress and a lead author of Title IX, Congresswoman Mink worked to ensure that all women in our country have every opportunity men have.” 

Sen. Mazie Hirono speaks after helping to unveil a portrait of the late Rep. Patsy Mink at the Capitol in 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Mazie Hirono speaks after helping to unveil a portrait of the late Rep. Patsy Mink at the Capitol in 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The 2024 American Women Quarters will be released in mid-2023. The U.S. Mint is releasing five new quarters featuring women each year, starting in 2022 through 2025.

The U.S. Mint said the other women featured on next year’s new quarters are Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War era surgeon, women’s rights advocate and abolitionist; Pauli Murray, a poet, writer, lawyer, Episcopal priest, and advocate for civil rights; Zitkala-Ša, a writer, composer, educator, and political activist for Native Americans’ rights; and Celia Cruz, a Cuban-American singer who was known as “the Queen of Salsa.”

“All of the women being honored have lived remarkable and multi-faceted lives, and have made a significant impact on our Nation in their own unique way,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson, in a release. “By honoring these pioneering women, the Mint continues to connect America through coins which are like small works of art in your pocket.”

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.