Working Mom

Every schoolchild knows that Sacajawea helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific Ocean through thousands of miles of treacherous wilderness. It’s beyond debate that the Native American teenager--she was perhaps 16 when she signed on in the winter of 1804-05, with her husband, as a guide and interpreter--is a worthy subject for the next dollar coin.

The U.S. Mint plans to issue the new coin by January 2000, when stocks of Susan B. Anthony dollars are expected to run out. The Sacajawea dollar will be gold-colored and have edges that easily distinguish it from the quarter, an improvement over the Anthony dollar. The last big issue for the mint is which of several finalist images of the Shoshone woman, who was reared among the Missouri River Mandan Indians, to select for the coin. Before Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin makes the selection, the mint wants to hear from the public.

Sacajawea’s accomplishments are legendary. She guided the 31-man party to the Shoshone lands she hadn’t seen since childhood, helped purchase horses from the Shoshone at a critical juncture in the expedition and as she trekked across the Pacific Northwest displayed fortitude in the face of deprivation and courage in the face of danger many times over. But that she did all this carrying an infant, and later a toddler, strapped to her back makes Sacajawea’s exploits nearly incredible. For that reason, we side with historians who hope the final design for the dollar coin will depict both Sacajawea and her infant son, Baptiste.

Working mothers, take action:

Michael White, Public Affairs for the U.S. Mint, 633 3rd St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20220. Fax, (202) 874-4083. Phone, (202) 874-3134. Internet, https://www.usmint. gov/dollarcoin/finalist_home.cfm.