Actress to Become First Asian American Shown on US Currency
Anna May Wong, who made her Hollywood debut during the silent film era, is making her mark in a different way. CNN reported this week Wong will become the first Asian American to appear on U.S. currency. Wong will be…
Anna May Wong, who made her Hollywood debut during the silent film era, is making her mark in a different way.
CNN reported this week Wong will become the first Asian American to appear on U.S. currency.
Wong will be featured on the back of new quarters from Monday.
The outlet pointed out the design is the fifth to come from the American Women Quarters Program.
CNN explained the other four quarters feature poet and activist Maya Angelou, Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel to space, Cherokee Nation leader Wilma Mankiller, and suffragist Nina Otero-Warren.
The U.S. Mint’s acting director, Alison Doone, previously told CNN the “inspiring coin designs tell the stories of five extraordinary women whose contributions are indelibly etched in American culture.”
According to CNN’s report, Wong appeared in dozens of films but “faced deeply entrenched racism in Hollywood, where she struggled to break from stereotypical roles.”
The year before she died at 56 years old, Wong received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The coin’s designer, Emily Damstra, explained many “prominent actors from the 1920s and 1930s saw their name framed by lightbulbs on movie theater marquees, so I thought it made sense to feature Anna May Wong in this way.”
She added, “Along with the hard work, determination, and skill Anna May Wong brought to the profession of acting, I think it was her face and expressive gestures that really captivated movie audiences, so I included these elements next to her name.”