The U.S. Mint has issued the first coin in the 2023 American Women Quarters (AWQ) Program featuring the pioneering Bessie Coleman (1892-1926).
“The woman known as ‘Brave Bessie’ defied the odds and became an aviator,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson. “Her tenacious drive and fearless personality helped pave the way for future generations.”
Coleman was the Black woman and the first woman with Native American heritage to hold a pilot license. She earned her license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in France in 1921 and was the first Black person to earn an international pilot’s license
Coleman will be on the reverse of the quarter, with George Washington on the coin’s front.
Later in the year, the AQR program will honor Mexican-American journalist and teacher Jovita Idar, the indigenous Hawaiian composer Edith Kanakaʻole, Eleanor Roosevelt and Native American ballerina Maria Tallchief.
