The Jovita Idár Quarter was issued by the United States Mint in 2023 as part of the American Women Quarters Program. It honors Jovita Idár, a Mexican American journalist, educator, nurse, and civil rights leader whose work in early 20th-century Texas challenged segregation and advanced women’s education.
Design of the Jovita Idár Quarter
Obverse Design
The obverse of each issue in the American Women’s Quarter program features the 1931 portrait of George Washington sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser. Fraser’s portrait was initially crafted in 1931 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth. The inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and the date appear around the rim, just as on every obverse in this series.
Reverse Design
Sculptor Phebe Hemphill and designer John P. McGraw rendered a reverse portrait showing Idár with her hands clasped. Her blouse carries words that outline her work and activism, including “MEXICAN-AMERICAN RIGHTS,” “TEACHER,” “JOVITA IDÁR,” “NURSE,” “EVOLUCIÓN,” “ASTREA,” “EL HERALDO CRISTIANO,” “LA CRUZ BLANCA,” “JOURNALIST,” “LA CRÓNICA,” “EL PROGRESO,” and “LA LIGA FEMENIL MEXICANISTA.” Around the periphery are the legends “QUARTER DOLLAR,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” and “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”
Who Was Jovita Idár?
Jovita Idár was born in 1885 in Laredo, Texas, to parents who advocated for Mexican-American equality. She earned a teaching certificate in 1903 but left the classroom after witnessing poor conditions for Mexican-American pupils. She joined her father’s newspaper, La Crónica, where she wrote about racism, segregation, and bilingual education.
In 1911, she helped stage the First Mexican Congress and founded the League of Mexican Women (La Liga Femenil Mexicanista) to open free schools and press for suffrage. In 1913, she crossed into Mexico to nurse war victims with La Cruz Blanca. That same year, she physically barred Texas Rangers from closing the reformist paper El Progreso. Later, in San Antonio, she edited a Methodist weekly, opened a free kindergarten, and volunteered as a hospital interpreter. Idár died in 1946, leaving behind the motto “When you educate a woman, you educate a family.”
The American Women Quarters Program
The American Women Quarters Program was launched in 2022 and runs through 2025, issuing five new designs each year. Honorees are chosen from public nominations and represent diverse fields and backgrounds. Each design appears on circulating quarters as well as on proof and silver proof versions for collectors.
The Jovita Idár Quarter is the ninth release in the series and the fourth of 2023. It joins coins celebrating women whose achievements range from astronautics to civil rights advocacy.
Mintage and Collectibility
Philadelphia struck just over 190 million circulation-quality Jovita Idár Quarters. Denver produced over 184 million. The San Francisco Mint struck proof and silver proof versions. U.S. Mint offerings include 2023-PD Jovita Idár Quarter two-roll sets, three-roll sets, 100-coin bags, and annual proof sets. Its high mintage makes it readily available for casual spenders and dedicated collectors.
Cultural Impact
A fifth-grade class in Laredo, Texas, cheered on August 15, 2023, when their teacher opened a shipping box from the United States Mint. Inside were bright new quarters bearing a local hero rather than the usual statesman. The launch event in San Antonio featured Idár’s descendants, historians, community leaders, and schoolchildren.
Since then, teachers have integrated the quarter into lessons on journalism, voting rights, and Mexican-American history. Museums display it alongside original issues of La Crónica to bring her words and activism into focus. This coin also marks the first appearance of a Latina named on U.S. currency, expanding representation in our nation’s symbols.
The Jovita Idár Quarter is more than pocket change. It is a small monument that carries a story of education, justice, and community empowerment into everyday life.
