U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink to be honored and featured on U.S. quarters in 2024
The late U.S. Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink has been announced as the 12th woman, and second Asian American, to be featured on U.S. quarters as part of the American Women Quarters Program. She was a third-generation Japanese American who was born in Hawaii on the island of Maui.
Rep. Mink was notably the first Japanese American woman admitted to practice law in Hawaiʻi, the first Asian American woman, and first woman of color, to be elected to the U.S. Congress.
Rep. Mink was a champion for gender equity in education. She co-authored and advocated for the passage of Title IX which was later renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. The act states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
“The obverse (heads) depicts a portrait of George Washington, originally composed and sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser to mark George Washington’s 200th birthday,” The U.S. Mint says of the design. “The reverse (tails) depicts Patsy Takemoto Mink holding her landmark “TITLE IX” legislation. In the background, a view of the U.S. Capitol Building prominently features the south wing, home to the U.S. House of Representatives, where Mink served in Congress. The lei she wears represents her home state of Hawaii.”
Rep. Mink’s quarters will be issued in 2024.
Photo: U.S. Mint
