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April 29, 2022
The Honorable Janet Yellen
Secretary of the Treasury
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20220
Dear Madam Secretary:
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) held a public meeting via videoconferencing on April
19, 2022, during which the CCAC made recommendations for the reverse candidate designs for the 2023
American Women Quarter program. The obverse of the American Women Quarters will continue to feature
Laura Gardin Fraser’s profile of George Washington.
As per Public Law 116-330, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, the Secretary of the Treasury
(Secretary) is required to issue up to five quarter dollars each year emblematic of prominent American
women starting in 2022 through 2025. The women to be featured on these quarters are selected in
accordance with a process approved by the Secretary that includes consultation with the Smithsonian
American Women’s History Initiative (SAWHI), the National Women’s History Museum, and the
Bipartisan Women’s Caucus.
The first reverse portfolio that the CCAC reviewed for 2023 honors Ms. Bessie Coleman, the first African
American and first Native American woman pilot, as well as the first African American to earn an
international pilot’s license. Her determination and strong will continues to inspire people today. The
CCAC was joined by Ms. Coleman’s great niece, Ms. Gigi Coleman, who shared with the CCAC that Ms.
Bessie Coleman earned her international pilot license two years before another famous American, Ms.
Amelia Earhart. Following a very captivating discussion, the Committee recommended design BC-R-04A,
noteworthy for the inclusion of the inscription “6.15.1921,” the date Ms. Coleman received her pilot’s
license. CCAC members commented that the inclusion of this date is so important to Ms. Coleman’s
history. Ms. Gigi Coleman applauded this design, which received a score of 30 out of a maximum of 33.
The second reverse portfolio reviewed for 2023 was that honoring the internationally recognized first lady,
author, reformer, and leader, Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt. Appointed by President Truman to the United Nations
General Assembly, Ms. Roosevelt was reappointed to the United Nations Delegation by President Kennedy
and served as the chair for the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. The CCAC was joined by
Mr. Christopher Roosevelt, Esq. (grandson) and Ms. Nancy Roosevelt Ireland (granddaughter). After
hearing fond memories from Mr. Roosevelt about his grandmother, Committee members offered their
individual experiences related to the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her family. In an exceptional
appreciation of design ER-R-02A, depicting a portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt with the scales of justice
against a backdrop representing the globe and symbolizing her work on the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, the CCAC recommended this design unanimously by a voice vote. The grandchildren of Ms.
Roosevelt also prefer this reverse design.

Established by an Act of Congress, Public Law 108-15
https://www.ccac.gov

The third reverse portfolio honored Ms. Jovita Idar, a famous Mexican American journalist, activist,
teacher, and suffragist, who devoted her life to fighting against segregation and injustice and who believed
education was the foundation for a better future. Ms. Elizabeth Lopez, and Ms. Martha Aki, great nieces of
Jovita Idar, joined the CCAC during the discussion of these designs. While the candidate designs prompted
a lengthy discussion with a wealth of comments from the Committee, reverse design JI-R-08, received the
highest score with 26 out of a maximum of 33. CCAC members shared comments that from their experience
and expertise, this design had the potential to receive the honor of coin of the year due to the uniqueness of
the design, especially for a circulating coin. Design JI-R-08 portrays Ms. Idar with her hands clasped, and
on her dress are the names of the newspapers for which she wrote. The text also includes her great
accomplishments in life along with the required inscriptions.
Ms. Edith Kanakaʻole was the fourth woman recognized. She was famous as an Indigenous Hawaiian
composer, chanter, dancer, teacher, and entertainer. Her moʻolelo, or stories, served to rescue aspects of
Hawaiian history, customs, and traditions. The CCAC was joined by Ms. Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, the
granddaughter of Ms. Kanaka’ole, who expressed her appreciation of this honor for her family. Both the
family and the CCAC wholeheartedly endorsed reverse design EK-R-01, which portrays Ms. Kanakaʻole
with her hair and lei po’o morphing into a Hawaiian landscape, illustrating the integration of Kanaka’ole’s
work with the preservation of the land and culture. CCAC members remarked that the inclusion of the
inscription “25₵” instead of the classical “quarter dollar” inscription enhances the beauty and novelty of this
design. The CCAC made a motion recommending the Mint reduce the size of the cent mark. This design
garnered the maximum score of 33.
The fifth reverse design portfolio for 2023 honored Maria Tallchief, who was widely considered the first
American prima ballerina. She broke barriers as a Native American ballerina, exhibiting strength and
resilience both on and off the stage. Ms. Elise Paschen, daughter of Ms. Tallchief, joined the CCAC during
the discussion of these candidate designs. Reverse design MTQ-R-04, which includes the inscription
“AMERICA’S PRIMA BALLERINA”, received a range of complementary comments from CCAC
members, including “elegant,” “symmetry,” “balance,” and “extraordinary in strength and beauty.” The
family prefers this design, and it was also the preference of reviewers at the SAWHI and the National
Women’s History Museum. This design received 30 out of the maximum 33 points by members of the
CCAC.
It was an honor for the Committee to make recommendations from such a phenomenal range of designs for
this historic series recognizing American women. On behalf of the CCAC, we are thankful to participate in
the process of recommending designs that will be discussed and appreciated by Americans for years to
come.
Sincerely,

Lawrence S. Brown, Jr., MD, MPH
Chair

April 29, 2022
The Honorable Janet Yellen
Secretary of the Treasury
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20220
Dear Madam Secretary:
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) held a public meeting via videoconferencing on April
19, 2022, during which the CCAC made recommendations for the candidates for the reverse designs for the
2023 Native American $1 Coin Program.
The Native American $1 Coin Act, Public Law 110-82 (codified at 31 U.S.C § 5112 (r)), requires the
Secretary of the Treasury to annually mint and issue new $1 coins with reverse designs celebrating the
important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the development of the
United States and the history of the United States. The 2023 theme is Maria Tallchief: American Indians in
Ballet. Accordingly, all the candidate designs feature a depiction of Maria Tallchief dancing and the
inscriptions “American Indians in Ballet,” “United States of America,” and “$1.”
Ms. Elise Paschen, the daughter of Ms. Tallchief, joined the CCAC during the discussion of the candidate
designs. Of the seven designs presented to the CCAC, three received the greatest support. NA$1-02 has the
inscription of “Maria Tallchief” along with a dancing ballerina and received a score of 16 from the CCAC
out of a maximum score of 33. NA$1-03 features five figures representative of Native American ballerinas
and received 16 points. The CCAC voted to recommend NA$1-04 with a score of 25, a design displaying
five figures representative of Native American ballerinas with Maria Tallchief in the foreground. The
family and the Congressional Native American Caucus of the House of Representatives preferred this
design, which was noted to also have the symbolism of a blooming flower.
As a collector of modern numismatic items, I am convinced that this coin will be a welcomed addition by
American collectors while appreciating the various contributions of Native Americans.
Sincerely,

Lawrence S. Brown, Jr., MD, MPH
Chair

Established by an Act of Congress, Public Law 108-15
https://www.ccac.gov