Quarter Dollar 2024 Patsy Takemoto Mink, Coin from United States - detailed information

The Quarter Dollar is a United States coin worth 25 cents. From its inception until 1964, the denomination was issued in silver; it underwent several design changes, including finally the silver Washington quarter (1932 - 1964) featuring the first President of the United States on the obverse and the American Eagle on the reverse, issued then until 1998 in copper-nickel. The U.S Mint then embarked on several long term projects: the State Quarters series of 50 coins featuring each State from 1999 to 2008; in 2009, a six-coin series represented the District of Columbia and five US territories, and then the America the Beautiful program (2010 - 2021). After a brief interlude with a Washington commemorative quarter, the U.S. Mint started the American Women Quarters program in 2022.

Running until 2025, the program honours five women on five reverse designs per year, selected for "contributions to the United States in a wide spectrum of accomplishments and fields, including but not limited to suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and arts". The obverse depicts George Washington with a 1931 design by Laura Gardin Fraser.

The Patsy Takemoto Mink Quarter Dollar is the twelfth release in the American Women Quarters Program.

The Honorable Patsy Takemoto Mink was the first woman of colour to serve in Congress. She fought for gender and racial equality, affordable childcare, and environmental protection. She is best known for championing Title IX, legislation which opened new opportunities to women in education and school sports.

A third-generation Japanese American, Mink was born and raised on the island of Maui in Hawaii. She pursued college studies on the mainland where she faced racial discrimination, including segregated facilities. She ultimately returned to Hawaii to earn a BA at the University of Hawai’i in 1948.

Mink originally planned to pursue a medical degree, but several medical schools rejected her application. She turned to law school and earned a law degree from the University of Chicago in 1951. She was one of only two women and two Asian Americans in her law school class. She entered politics in the mid-1950s, serving in Hawaii’s territorial legislature and then Hawaii State Senate. In 1964, she became the first woman of colour elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

As a member of Congress, she fought for gender and racial equality, affordable childcare, support for low-income women and families, and environmental protection. She co-authored Title IX in the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities. Title IX opened up new opportunities to women, who had been excluded from certain courses, sports, and other opportunities in high schools and colleges.

Mink served a combined 24 years in Congress, from 1965-1977 and again in 1990-2002. After her death in 2002, Title IX was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.

Patsy Takemoto Mink Quarter Dollars issued in 2024 have now been in circulation for only one year.