Anna May Wong will be the first Asian American to be featured on U.S. currency
U.S. Mint
Words by Samantha Pak
Anna May Wong (1905-1961) will become the first Asian American to be on U.S. currency.
The first Asian American movie star will be featured on the “tails” side of the quarter, opposite George Washington. Her $0.25 coin is part of the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters Program, which launched at the beginning of this year and will run through 2025. The program will release up to five new coins each year—all featuring badass American women who have made significant contributions throughout history.
The new quarter, featuring a closeup of Wong, surrounded by the bright lights of a marquee sign (befitting of the Hollywood star she was), will be released Oct. 24 and is the last coin in the program this year.
According to the Mint, the women featured on these new coins “will be from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds.” Previously released quarters this year feature writer, performer and social activist Maya Angelou; Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space; Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation; and Nina Otero-Warren who was a leader of New Mexico’s suffrage movement and first female superintendent of Santa Fe public schools. Not bad company for Wong to be in, if you ask us.
According to the New York Times, the U.S. Mint is expected to release 300 million Wong quarters.
As we’ve mentioned before, Wong, who was Chinese American, paved the way for Asian Americans in Hollywood today. Lucy Liu even acknowledged Wong’s contributions to the industry when she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (only the second Asian American woman to do so, after Wong) in 2019, saying, “A hundred years ago, [Wong] was a pioneer while enduring racism, marginalization and exclusion…I was lucky that trailblazers like Anna May Wong and Bruce Lee came before me.”
From being cast in stereotypical roles, to losing leading Asian roles to white actresses, Wong endured all of this and still made a name for herself at the time—a testament to her talent. Her being featured on the quarter not only acknowledges this, it honors her struggles and her legacy in the film industry and U.S. history.
Published on October 19, 2022
Words by Samantha Pak
Samantha Pak (she/her) is an award-winning Cambodian American journalist from the Seattle area and assistant editor for JoySauce. She spends more time than she’ll admit shopping for books than actually reading them, and has made it her mission to show others how amazing Southeast Asian people are. Follow her on Twitter at @iam_sammi and on Instagram at @sammi.pak.