For the first time ever in American history, Lady Liberty will be portrayed as a woman of colour, depicting an African-American on the U.S. currency.
Treasury and Mint officials unveiled the 2017 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin, in a celebration of the U.S. Mint and Treasury’s 225th anniversary, according to NBC News.
The new $100 coin was unveiled by Elisa Basnight, U.S. Mint chief of staff, featuring Lady Liberty as a black woman.
Since the passage of the Coinage Act in 1792, all coins are required to feature an “impression emblematic of liberty,” in either words or images.
Until the new coin designed by Justin Kunz was unveiled, Lady Liberty had always been depicted as a White woman.
“As we as a nation continue to evolve, so does liberty’s representation,” Basnight said at the ceremony unveiling the new coin.
“We live in a nation that affords us the opportunity to dream big and try to accomplish the seemingly impossible.”
The new 24-karat gold coin, which is set to be released in April and is meant primarily for collectors, is one of a series of new, diverse commemorative coins the Mint will unveil in the coming years.
Basnight said future depictions of Lady Liberty, according to the Mint, will also feature designs to represent Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Indian Americans, and others “to reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the United States”.
