D.C. Coin Released Today as Hearings Begin on D.C. Votings Rights Bill Tomorrow (1/27/09)
D.C. Coin Released Today as Hearings Begin on D.C. Voting Rights Bill Tomorrow
January 26, 2009
Washington, D.C. - The District's long-awaited quarter begins circulation today, the Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced, just one day before hearings that will send the D.C. House Voting Rights bill to the Floor. The Congresswoman spoke with U.S. Mint Director Edmund C. Moy, who will participate later this month in an event celebrating the coin along with city officials and residents, but collectors can obtain a two-roll set of the quarters or a bag of 100, either for $32.95 or a bag of 1,000 for $309.95 at banks.
The release of the coin marks the culmination of Norton's efforts that began seven years ago when she went to the House Floor to protest a vote on the 50 states coin series with no District of Columbia coin authorized and got a promise for a District coin. The House then passed her bill four times, but it stalled initially in the Senate until she got it out in an omnibus bill last year. With the release of the coin today by the U.S. Mint, the Congresswoman took the long ordeal in stride and saw the bright side. "The District has gained another measure of equality and pride in being American citizens," she said. "We rejoice at the circulation of the coin as we begin hearings on our voting rights tomorrow." Witnesses at the hearings before the Judiciary subcommittee, at 10 a.m. in room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, are Captain Yolanda Lee, a member of the D.C. National Guard, an Iraq War veteran and a D.C. resident, who graduated from Ballou High School and the University of the District of Columbia; Viet Dinh, a Georgetown law professor and a former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy in the Ashcroft Justice Department under President Bush (the office that advises the President and the Attorney General concerning constitutional matters); and Wade Henderson, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.
Norton, Mayor Adrian Fenty and City Council Chairman Vincent Gray appointed a design advisory committee, which recommended a design depicting the people and neighborhoods of the city rather than federal Washington. The committee's recommendations, from which the selection of Duke Ellington was made, included the stars and bars of the District flag; the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who lived in Washington at the Frederick Douglass home, now a national monument in Southeast Washington and served as a presidential advisor; astronomer and mathematician Benjamin Banneker, who helped plan the city; and the musician Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, born and raised in the District, where he also helped establish the entertainment corridor on U Street. The committee also recommended inscribing "Taxation without Representation" on the coin, but the Mint declined the "Taxation without Representation" slogan and, instead, agreed to a depiction of Duke Ellington at his piano with the District's motto "Justice for All." The final selection was made only after public comment, with more than 6,000 residents responding, in addition to an on-line poll, and the musical genius, composer, and band leader Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, was chosen for the D.C. Coin. Norton said she was especially pleased at the Ellington selection because he was the only one of the candidates concerned who was born and raised in the District and his talent was nurtured in the city. She said that the Ellington selection on a coin throughout the world "will help people understand that this is a distinctive hometown with a long and storied history of its own, not just a government town."
Norton, will work with Moy and city officials to plan a celebration of the D.C. coin in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the coins may be purchased through the United States Mint's secure Web site, www.usmint.gov, or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) or by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468). Domestic orders include a $4.95 fee per order for shipping and handling. Quarter bags of 1,000 coins will have an additional charge of $7.95 per bag because of their weight and size.