Anna May Wong becomes the first Asian American with US currency as part of the American Women Quarters Program

WASHINGTON– Hollywood pioneer Anna May Wong will be the first Asian American to star in some US quarters.

The US Mint will begin shipping the fifth American Women Quarters Program coin on Monday, October 24.

The coin features Wong who rose to fame and became the first Chinese-American film star in Hollywood.

“The fifth coin in our American Women Quarters Program honors Anna May Wong, a courageous advocate who has championed greater representation and multidimensional roles of Asian American actors,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson.

Wong’s career has spanned film, television and theater and left a lasting legacy for Asian American women in the entertainment industry.

She has appeared in over 60 films, including silent films, and has also appeared in theatrical productions on the stages of New York and London.

Gibson said the quarter is designed to reflect the depth of achievements of Wong, who has overcome many challenges and obstacles throughout her life.

Wong is one of five women featured in the quarterfinals as part of a four-year program featuring coins with reverse (tail) designs by women who made their mark in American history.

The other women include Dr. Sally Ride, the first American to go into space; award-winning writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou; Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected Chief Chief of the Cherokee Nation and activist for Native American and women’s rights; and Nina Otero-Warren, a leader of the New Mexico suffrage movement and the first female superintendent of Santa Fe public schools.