Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
Honoring America's first Black combat pilots — the final coin of the program.
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site is located in Tuskegee, Alabama. It is the very place where the first Black combat pilots trained in the United States — the “Tuskegee Airmen” — learned and trained to fly during World War II. In an era of severe racial discrimination, they were heroes who broke through prejudice and defended the skies.
On the reverse of the coin are a Tuskegee Airman preparing to fly and two P-51 Mustang fighters flying overhead. It shows together the image of a pilot suiting up before takeoff and the fighters cutting through the sky.
The P-51 Mustang was the representative fighter the Tuskegee Airmen flew. With outstanding skill they escorted bombers and achieved great feats, and through their ability they tore down the prejudice of the time that “Black men cannot be pilots.” This scene on the coin honors their courage and the pride with which they stood against discrimination.
This historic site was designated on November 6, 1998, and preserves their training ground and their story. This coin also carries the special meaning of being both part of the “America the Beautiful” series and the very last (56th) coin of the entire program, which ran from 2010 to 2021.
Holding this coin that crowns the finale of the program, we engrave in our hearts the story of people who rose into the sky in spite of prejudice, along with the long and diverse journey America has walked.