Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller, the first woman principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, will be honored during the first year of the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters Program.

Mankiller will be featured on circulating and numismatic American Women Quarters Program coins beginning in 2022. The design will reflect the achievements of Mankiller, as well as fellow honorees: Adelina Otero-Warren, a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement and the first female superintendent of Santa Fe public schools; and Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American film start in Hollywood, achieving international success despite racism and discrimination.

“Courageous women have made countless contributions throughout our great Nation’s history,” said Mint Director David J. Ryder. “The American Women Quarters Program is a unique opportunity to honor a broad and diverse group of women whose achievements, triumphs, and legacies reflect the strength and resilience of our Nation. We look forward to sharing their stories.”

Mankiller was a social worker and activist. During her time as chief the tribe focused on new health clinics, improving education for CN citizens, and she was able to open new revenue streams for the tribe through bingo operations, factories, restaurants and more.

“She was very bold in what she expected the United States to do, which was to provide resources that they were obliged to do and to get out of the way of the Cherokee Nation so that we could chart our own destiny,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. told News On 6 Tulsa. “She was someone who survived in an office that had been dominated by men. I think she sparked a generation, particularly a generation of Cherokee girls, about what was possible.”

The Mint will release additional details about the American Women Quarters Program in the coming months.