Tipsheet

For the First Time Ever, Lady Liberty is an African Woman on US Coin

To celebrate the Treasury Department's 225th anniversary, the U.S. Mint has printed a new $100 coin depicting Lady Liberty as an African-American woman.

The Coinage Act of 1792 requires coins to feature an "impression emblematic of liberty" and until now, all the images of Lady Liberty have reflected a white woman, according to the report.

The 24-karat gold coin's heads side shows the woman wearing a crown of stars along with the phrase, "In God We Trust."

The opposite side features an eagle with the inscriptions "United States of America" and "E Pluribus Unum."

"We boldly look to the future by casting Liberty in a new light, as an African-American woman wearing a crown of stars, looking forward to ever brighter chapters in our Nation’s history book," the U.S. Department of Treasury said in an online post.