Classic movie star Anna May Wong becomes 1st Asian American featured on U.S. currency
A new U.S. coin will make history by honoring a trailblazing movie star.
U.S. Mint has announced it will start shipping quarters featuring an image of actress Anna May Wong, making her the first Asian American ever featured on U.S. currency. Wong, who died in 1961, starred in more than 60 films beginning in the silent era and became the first Chinese American movie star in Hollywood.
This coin will be the fifth of 2022 that's part of the American Women Quarters Program celebrating distinguished women, including Maya Angelou.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wong, whose films include 1932's Shanghai Express, had to deal with racism in Hollywood throughout her career. She was largely unable to star as the lead in romance movies due to restrictions on the depiction of interracial relationships, and was denied the role of a Chinese woman in 1937's The Good Earth, which instead went to a white actor, The New York Times notes. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Designer Emily Damstra said in a statement that the coin was made to look like Wong is surrounded by lights resembling a movie theater marquee.
"The fifth coin in our American Women Quarters Program honors Anna May Wong, a courageous advocate who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors," U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson said. "This quarter is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of accomplishments by Anna May Wong, who overcame challenges and obstacles she faced during her lifetime."
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) celebrated the news, noting Wong "faced constant discrimination, frequently being typecast and passed over for lead roles in favor of non-Asian actresses," but "in the face of adversity, she kept going and became an internationally renowned actress."
-
EU-Mercosur mega trade deal: 25 years in the makingThe Explainer Despite opposition from France and Ireland among others, the ‘significant’ agreement with the South American bloc is set to finally go ahead
-
The Oberoi Beach Resort, Bali: a calm retreat in the heart of SeminyakThe Week Recommends Tradition meets modernity at this serene beachfront resort
-
‘No Other Choice,’ ‘Dead Man’s Wire,’ and ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’Feature A victim of downsizing turns murderous, an angry Indiana man takes a lender hostage, and a portrait of family by way of three awkward gatherings
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
