COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina civil rights leader Septima Poinsette Clark is being honored with a collectible coin issued by the United States Mint.
The $1 coin depicts Septima Poinsette Clark marching with three Black students carrying books and an American flag. It illustrates education as the pathway to equality and freedom for Black people in America and highlights Clark as an educator and activist leading the way.
The Clark coin is part of an ongoing series called the American Innovation $1 Coin Program that pays tribute to pioneering individuals and groups and their accomplishments, from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Four coins are made each year through 2032.
The coin can be purchased from the U.S. Mint now in rolls and bags of 25 or 100. The reverse proof version of the coin is priced at $11.50, with production limited to 50,000.
“It’s important for people to know her and to appreciate her legacy. The recognition of Mrs. Clark’s life’s work by the U.S. Mint is a tremendous honor. She is only HBCU graduate honored in the series of coins being produced this year and we are enormously proud to proclaim that she is a Benedict College alumna,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College.
Septima Poinsette Clark graduated from Benedict College on May 26, 1942, with a B.A. degree.
Learn more about Septima Poinsette Clark here.