Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, a 1933 Hunter College graduate who is considered one of the most important social justice advocates of the 20th century, will be a 2024 honoree for the American Women Quarters Program, the U.S. Mint announced. Murray was a lawyer, activist, poet and the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. A co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Murray’s writing inspired both Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg as they prepared landmark Supreme Court decisions arguing against segregation and sex-based discrimination.
“On International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of women and fighting against gender discrimination, we are delighted that Pauli Murray will be recognized in such an indelible way for being an unrelenting advocate and showing the foresight to anticipate some of the most significant issues of our time,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “I would also like to take this moment to celebrate the many women of CUNY who, throughout our 175-year history, have fought for social justice, made groundbreaking scientific advancements, wrote influential works across many fields and served the public as elected leaders.”
“All of the women being honored have lived remarkable and multi-faceted lives, and have made a significant impact on our nation in their own unique way,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson in a statement. “The women pioneered change during their lifetimes, not yielding to the status quo imparted during their lives. By honoring these pioneering women, the Mint continues to connect America through coins, which are like small works of art in your pocket.”
The other 2024 honorees for the American Women Quarters Program are Civil-War-era surgeon Mary Edwards Walker, U.S. Congressperson Patsy Takemoto Mink, Native American activist and author Zitkala-Ša and Cuban-American singer Celia Cruz. Cruz will be the first Afro-Latina to appear on a U.S. quarter. The U.S. Mint will announce the 2024 American Women Quarters designs, as well as the sequence of their release into circulation in 2024, at a later date.
