The quarters honoring her life and legacy went on sale starting this week "in two- and three-roll sets, as well as 100-coin bags," according to the U.S. Mint.
The issuance came several months after the Mint revealed this year's honorees to be featured on the backs of the coins in November last year. They are available for purchase with prices ranging from US$42 to $63.
In its statement last week, the Mint described Milbern as a "visionary leader and powerful activist for disability justice." It added, "Born with physical disabilities, her life experiences led her to inspire and empower others, championing the belief that everyone is inherently valuable."
The coins, the fourth in this year's series, come under the Mint's program, which honors "a diverse group of notable American women who made significant contributions in a variety of fields, including suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts."
The previous honorees include African-American investigative journalist Ida B. Wells, Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low and astronomer Vera Rubin.
The front of the coins features the first U.S. President George Washington, as on other quarters, while the back bears an engraved portrait of Milbern sitting in a wheelchair.
Born in 1987 to a U.S. Army soldier father and a South Korean mother, Milbern, also known by her Korean name Park Ji-hye, suffered from congenital muscular dystrophy. She began advocating for disability rights as a teenager and later gained recognition by advising the Barack Obama administration on disability-related policies. She died in 2020 after battling complications from a kidney tumor.
reporter
Cheon Soram
cheons@ajunews.com
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