Anna May Wong to be Celebrated with U.S. Coin

BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN

The U.S. Mint has announced it will begin circulating coins featuring actress Anna May Wong within the next week. Wong will become the first Asian American to be featured on U.S. currency.

Wong has often been called Hollywood’s first Asian American movie star. With her career, Wong championed for more representation in the early days of Hollywood. She also called for roles in films that weren’t as stereotypical as most found for Asian Americans in early films.

When Wong first began her career, Hollywood was ripe with “yellowface” in films when white people wore makeup and clothes to take on Asian roles. When she first landed roles, they were steeped in racial stereotypes. She was also transparent about how her pay was not the same as her white co-stars. For her top billing in “Daughter of the Dragon,” Wong was paid just $6,000, while Warner Oland earned $12,000 for only appearing in the first 20 minutes of the film. For her work in “Shanghai Express,” Wong was paid $6,000, while Marlene Dietrich earned over $78,000 for the production.

After multiple instances of racist treatment in Hollywood, Wong moved to Europe and starred in English, French, and German films. Over her career, she appeared in 60 films and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She passed away in 1961.

The quarter from the U.S. Mint is part of the American Women Quarter Program, a chance to celebrate female trailblazers in American history. Five women will be honored each year from 2022 to 2025.

More than 300 million Wong quarters will be produced and entered into circulation. The front of the coin will feature George Washington. The tail of the coin will feature a close-up of Wong with her head resting on her hand.

The four other women honored with a coin in 2022 are Maya Angelou, Sally Ride, Nina Otero-Warren, and Wilma Mankiller.