Lady Liberty will be portrayed as a woman of color on U.S. currency for the first time in history
In news that will make you say, “It’s about GD time,” Lady Liberty will be portrayed as a woman of color on U.S. currency for the second time ever in the nation’s history.
The U.S. Mint and Treasury revealed the design for the commemorative gold coin on Thursday, which features a black woman wearing a crown of stars. Set to be released on April 6th as a collectible — meaning it won’t circulate with everyday currency — it celebrates 225 years of the Mint.
The African American Lady Liberty will be joined in upcoming years by Asian, Hispanic, and Native American depictions of the woman who has until now been portrayed only with white, European features.
Watch the coin’s unveiling ceremony below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmk5EVa3m_E?feature=oembed
“We have chosen ‘Remembering Our Past, Embracing the Future’ as the Mint’s theme for our 225th Anniversary year,” wrote Rhett Jeppson, principal deputy director of the U.S. Mint, in a statement.
"We boldly look to the future by casting Liberty in a new light, as an African American woman wearing a crown of stars, looking forward to ever brighter chapters in our nation’s history book."
The one-ounce, 24-karat gold coin, which has a face value of $100, will be priced — like other gold coins — by the value of gold at the time of sale. Right now, The New York Times reports, gold is worth more than $1,000 per ounce.
Just 100,000 of the African American Lady Liberty coins will be produced, and they’ll be housed in a custom-designed, black wood box — ideal for displaying your vision of the future proudly in your home.
