Nominating Organziation Name and role:
United States Mint
Coin Issuers Name:
United States Mint
Date of Coin issue:
Limited in Circulation:
Coin Description
The 2023 American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman commemorates the day, June 15, 1921, that she received her international pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in France, becoming the first African American to do so. The reverse of the coin depicts Coleman as she suits up in preparation for flight. Her expression reflects her determination to take to the skies, the only place she experienced a freedom she did not have on the ground. The inscription “6.15.1921” commemorates the date Coleman received her pilot’s license. The obverse depicts a portrait of George Washington, originally sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser in 1932.
Coleman was the first African American and first Native American woman pilot, who overcame overt racism and segregation laws of the time. After being refused admission into every U.S. flying school she approached, Coleman learned French. She traveled to Paris in 1920 to attend the well-known Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France. She was the only student of color in her class.
After receiving her pilot’s license, she returned to the U.S. and performed in her first airshow in September 1922. She became known for “loop-the-loops” and making a figure 8.
Coleman used her growing fame to tour the country, giving flight lessons, performing in shows, and encouraging African Americans and women to learn how to fly. She also made a point of refusing to speak or perform anywhere that segregated or discriminated against African Americans.
Bessie Coleman died on April 30, 1926 as a passenger in a practice flight for a celebration in Jacksonville, Florida. Her flying career, although brief, inspires many young African Americans to pursue the field of aviation. Her legacy continues through the establishment of aviation clubs and tributes, including the 1995 U.S. postal stamp issued in her honor.
Innovation and unique aspects
The American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman is part of the innovative American Women Quarters Program that celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States. This limited series features contributions from a variety of fields and the women honored are from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds. The American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman is unique as the first United States coin to depict an African American woman as part of its history of aviation, clearly recognizing her extraordinary courage, determination, and pioneering efforts, and is the first quarter in the series to specifically identify the date of her trailblazing achievement.
Overall integration of Features
The American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman was designed to clearly recognize Coleman and her achievements. The viewer is provided a close-up depiction of Coleman suited-up for flight, showing her upward gaze, symbolic of her dreams and determination. The airplane in the background shows her in flight, above the clouds, representing her extraordinary achievement. Her name is highlighted in the exergue by stylized aviation wings, and underscored by the date she became the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license, “6.15.1921.”
Highlights an event
This American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman commemorates the day she
become the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license, June 15, 1921. The date is prominently placed on the coin just beneath her name. The date emphasizes a period of time when American minorities faced overt racism and segregation laws, and the extraordinary efforts it took Coleman to overcome them to become the first African American and first Native American woman pilot.
Coin Description
The 2023 American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman commemorates the day, June 15, 1921, that she received her international pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in France, becoming the first African American to do so. The reverse of the coin depicts Coleman as she suits up in preparation for flight. Her expression reflects her determination to take to the skies, the only place she experienced a freedom she did not have on the ground. The inscription “6.15.1921” commemorates the date Coleman received her pilot’s license. The obverse depicts a portrait of George Washington, originally sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser in 1932.
Coleman was the first African American and first Native American woman pilot, who overcame overt racism and segregation laws of the time. After being refused admission into every U.S. flying school she approached, Coleman learned French. She traveled to Paris in 1920 to attend the well-known Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France. She was the only student of color in her class.
After receiving her pilot’s license, she returned to the U.S. and performed in her first airshow in September 1922. She became known for “loop-the-loops” and making a figure 8.
Coleman used her growing fame to tour the country, giving flight lessons, performing in shows, and encouraging African Americans and women to learn how to fly. She also made a point of refusing to speak or perform anywhere that segregated or discriminated against African Americans.
Bessie Coleman died on April 30, 1926 as a passenger in a practice flight for a celebration in Jacksonville, Florida. Her flying career, although brief, inspires many young African Americans to pursue the field of aviation. Her legacy continues through the establishment of aviation clubs and tributes, including the 1995 U.S. postal stamp issued in her honor.
Innovation and unique aspects
The American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman is part of the innovative American Women Quarters Program that celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States. This limited series features contributions from a variety of fields and the women honored are from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds. The American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman is unique as the first United States coin to depict an African American woman as part of its history of aviation, clearly recognizing her extraordinary courage, determination, and pioneering efforts, and is the first quarter in the series to specifically identify the date of her trailblazing achievement.
Overall integration of Features
The American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman was designed to clearly recognize Coleman and her achievements. The viewer is provided a close-up depiction of Coleman suited-up for flight, showing her upward gaze, symbolic of her dreams and determination. The airplane in the background shows her in flight, above the clouds, representing her extraordinary achievement. Her name is highlighted in the exergue by stylized aviation wings, and underscored by the date she became the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license, “6.15.1921.”
Highlights an event
This American Women Quarter honoring Bessie Coleman commemorates the day she
become the first African American to earn an international pilot’s license, June 15, 1921. The date is prominently placed on the coin just beneath her name. The date emphasizes a period of time when American minorities faced overt racism and segregation laws, and the extraordinary efforts it took Coleman to overcome them to become the first African American and first Native American woman pilot.