(CNN) — The US Mint released commemorative coins honoring abolitionistÌýÌý°Õ³ó³Ü°ù²õ»å²¹²â.
The coins include $5 gold coins,Ìý$1Ìýsilver coins and half-dollar coins that commemorate the bicentennial of her birth. This is the first time the US Mint has honored Tubman with coins, according to the agency.
“​We all owe Harriet Tubman a huge debt of gratitude because I, and so many others, would not be where we are today if not for her heroism, her passion for freedom for our people and for her service to this country,†US Mint Director Ventris Gibson, the first BlackÌýdirector ofÌýthe bureau, told CNN.
“At the Mint, we like to say that coins are miniature canvases of art, and the Harriet Tubman coins are truly stunning works of art.â€
Ventris continued, “These coins embody her spirit, her perseverance, her tireless efforts, and her desire for freedom for all individuals.â€
In August 2022, President Joe BidenÌýÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌýÌýinto law, which directs the US Mint to issue the coins.
Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman escaped in 1849 and fled to Pennsylvania. She helped many enslaved Africans escape in Maryland and other states as a “conductor†on the Underground Railroad, aÌýsecret network of routes and safe houses for enslaved AfricansÌýescaping to freedom.ÌýDuring the Civil War, she served as a spy, scout, nurse and cook in the US Army. And in her later years, Tubman was involved in the women’s suffrage movement.
Gibson said the design on each coin reflects a period of Tubman’s life andÌýherÌýabolitionist efforts.
The silver dollar designÌýdepictsÌýTubman’sÌýtimeÌýas a “conductor†on the Underground Railroad; the half dollar designÌýshows TubmanÌýas a spy and UnionÌýnurseÌýduring the Civil War.
The $5 gold coin depicts an older Tubman “gazing confidently into the distance and towards the future†and is inscribed with Tubman’s core values, including faith and freedom, according toÌýa description onÌýthe Mint’sÌýwebsite.
The US MintÌýdesigned the coins in collaborationÌýwith theÌýÌýand theÌý, Gibson said.
The release of theÌýTubmanÌýcoins follows a renewed push byÌýsomeÌýlawmakers to have Tubman replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill after previous attempts have stalled.
In June, Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat,Ìý introduced the “Woman on the Twenty Act of 2023†bill, which, if passed, would require all US $20 billsÌýprinted after December 31, 2026Ìýto “feature a portrait of Harriet Tubman on the front face of the note.â€
The Biden administrationÌýÌýit was “exploring ways to speed up†featuring Tubman on the $20 bill.
Ernestine “Tina†Martin Wyatt, Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece, told CNN the coins honoring her aunt are “beautiful†and praised the US Mint’s commemoration of her legacy. However, Wyatt said, to see her aunt’s face on the $20 bill would make a bigger statement and be symbolic of America’s growth as a country.
“The coins are fabulous but that $20 bill, for me, represents something greater about who she was and what she gave to the United States,†Wyatt said. “She is a symbol of true democracy in this country, and we have to pay attention to the symbols that we want to represent it.â€
“A $20 bill, you’re exchanging that all the time, you’re seeing that all the time … That’s where the symbolism really is important because symbolism in this country started with that dollar bill,†she said.
CNNÌýhasÌýreached out to the US Treasury Department and the White House for comment.
The new coins can be purchasedÌýÌýand in US Mint stores in Washington, DC, DenverÌýand Philadelphia. Proceeds from theÌýsale of theÌýcoins will go to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Harriet Tubman Home,Ìýaccording to aÌýÌýon the US Mint website.
The-CNN-Wire
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