U.S. Mint unveils black Lady Liberty collector’s coins

Americans will soon see Lady Liberty in a few new shades on a U.S. collector’s coin. To mark the 225th anniversary of the United States Mint, Lady Liberty will appear as a Black woman for a commemorative gold coin. Subsequent coins will feature Asian-American, Hispanic-American and Native Indian-American women acknowledging the diversity of the country.

“By putting an African-American as Lady Liberty on an officially minted coin, it says to African-Americans and other minorities that we are valued and hold a place in the history of our great country,” said Kerry Cash, a precious metals specialist with the United States Gold Bureau and former NFL player, in an official statement. “It also says to the rest of the world that diversity is a value that America holds dear,” Cash said in the statement.

The United States Mint released the historic anniversary gold coin in April, driven by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, according to United States Gold Bureau officials. This will be the first transition in a series of coin designs geared towards inclusion that will be depicting Lady Liberty in a variety of ethnicities.

With Hall of Fame athlete Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s appointment as the first African-American member to the coinage committee, he led the charge behind the coin’s new design, according to the United States Gold Bureau’s veteran precious metals specialists. The inclusion of Abdul-Jabbar and Cash at the United States Gold Bureau have worked to influence the world of coin collecting and investing to appeal to more diverse groups, officials said in a release.

Another former athlete, Lakers player Ron Baxter, who is now a metals specialist with the gold bureau said that having a Black Lady Liberty as the gold standard goes a long way in elevating minorities to a position of equality in American history.

“Gold coins have told the story of great civilizations like the Romans,” Baxter said in a release. “Now that the U.S. Mint has decided to be more inclusive by using an African-American as Lady Liberty, I think all ethnicities feel like they have played a positive and prominent role in the history of our great country,” Baxter said.

This article originally published in the April 10, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.