UTSA, the United States Mint and the National Women’s History Museum will co-host the release of the latest coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program, featuring Jovita Idar, a Mexican-American journalist, activist, teacher and suffragist. Idar’s legacy will be celebrated with a ceremonial quarter release event on Thursday, September 14 at the UTSA Downtown Campus. 

The quarter release will kick off UTSA’s annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration while honoring Idar’s impact and UTSA’s role as one of the nation’s leading Hispanic Serving Institutions. It will begin with “The Historical Significance, Public Impact, and Legacy of Jovita Idar,” a roundtable scheduled at 5:30 p.m. in the Buena Vista Street Building Aula Canaria (BVB 1.328), followed by the Jovita Idar Quarter Release Celebration at 7 p.m. in the Buena Vista Street Building Theater (BVB 1.326).

Idar was born on September 7, 1885, in Laredo, Texas. The daughter of a newspaper editor and a civil rights advocate, Idar was exposed to journalism and political activism at a very young age. She devoted her life to fighting against separatist ideologies and sought to create a better future for Mexican-Americans.

Her ideas and practices were ahead of her time. She made it her mission to pursue civil rights for Mexican-Americans and believed education was the foundation for a better future. Idar wrote many news articles in various publications speaking out about racism and supporting the revolution in Mexico.

In 1911, she joined the First Mexicanist Congress in Laredo and organized Mexican-American activists. She and other women formed La Liga Femenil Mexicanista, or the League of Mexican Women, a political and charitable organization that sought to empower Mexican-American women. Idar was chosen as its first president.

Idar died in San Antonio, Texas on June 15, 1946. Throughout her life, she remained on the front lines of change and advocated fiercely for the rights of women and Mexican-Americans.

The Jovita Idar Quarter is the ninth coin in the American Women Quarters™ Program, a four-year program that celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States. Beginning in 2022, and continuing through 2025, the United States Mint will issue up to five new reverse designs each year.

The obverse (heads) depicts a portrait of George Washington, originally composed and sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser to mark George Washington’s 200th birthday. A recommended design for the 1932 quarter, then-Treasury Secretary Mellon ultimately selected the familiar John Flanagan design.

The reverse (tails), designed by medallic artist John P. McGraw, features a depiction of Idar with her hands clasped. Within her body are inscriptions representing some of her greatest accomplishments and the newspapers for which she wrote.

The Quarter Release Celebration will be free and open to the public. All attendees will receive a complimentary Jovita Idar Quarter in an American Women Quarters™ Collector Coin Board.

— Christi Fish