2022 American Women Quarters Program,Wilma Mankiller, P Mint

Own this American Women Quarters Program coin honoring Cherokee Nation chief Wilma Mankiller

This quarter was issued in 2022 as part of the first series of US coins to honor the achievements of women. The reverse design on this quarter features Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  It ...  more

Own this American Women Quarters Program coin honoring Cherokee Nation chief Wilma Mankiller

This quarter was issued in 2022 as part of the first series of US coins to honor the achievements of women. The reverse design on this quarter features Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  It pictures Mankiller wrapped in a traditional shawl.  The seven-pointed star is a symbol of the Cherokee Nation.  This coin was minted at the Philadelphia Mint.

About the American Women Quarters Program

The American Women Quarters Program is a multi-year tribute to women from diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and parts of the US.  They were chosen for their contributions to the abolition of slavery, civil rights activism, roles in government, as well as expertise in science, the arts, humanities and much more.

From 2022 through 2025, five new coins were released each year.  Each coin features a distinctive reverse design honoring an American woman, along with her name, “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “QUARTER DOLLAR.”   The obverse side showcases a new design of George Washington. 

Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010) was born on the Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma, but her family moved to San Francisco to improve their finances and opportunities.  As an adult, Wilma worked to improve the life of Native Americans living in California and became the director of the Native American Youth Center in Oakland. 

In the late 1970s, Wilma returned to Oklahoma, where she established the Community Development Department for the Cherokees to improve housing and access to water.  In 1985, Mankiller was elected the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, a position she held for 10 years.  She was the first woman to be elected chief of any Native American tribe.  In this role, she worked tirelessly to improve education, housing, and healthcare for her people. 

In 1993, Mankiller was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.  Five years later President Bill Clinton presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.