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This golden-hued coin is a small page of living Native American history that feels good in the hand. The theme of this issue is "Elizabeth Peratrovich — Anti-Discrimination Act".
Obverse
The obverse shows a portrait of Sacagawea — a young Shoshone woman, guide of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, carrying her infant son Jean-Baptiste on her back. Flanking it are LIBERTY and IN GOD WE TRUST. It is the most recognizable image of the series, unchanged since 2000. The inscription and portrait set a solemn, recognizable tone for the whole series.
Reverse
The 2020 reverse is a miniature of its own: it depicts Elizabeth Peratrovich, a Tlingit civil-rights activist, with her Raven clan symbol — honoring Alaska’s 1945 Anti-Discrimination Act she fought for. Around the rim are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination $1, while the year and the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM are lettered on the edge. The relief catches the light as the coin is turned.
Historical context
The series-wide obverse depicts Sacagawea — a young Lemhi Shoshone woman born around 1788 in what is now Idaho. Captured by a rival tribe as a girl, she later became the wife of the trader Toussaint Charbonneau and, already pregnant, joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition in February 1805. Carrying her infant son Jean-Baptiste on her back, she took on the roles of interpreter, guide and peacemaker, without whom the party could hardly have reached the Pacific. Sacagawea became one of the most honored women in U.S. history — with more monuments dedicated to her than to any other American woman.
The 2020 reverse honors Elizabeth Peratrovich, a Tlingit activist, and Alaska’s 1945 Anti-Discrimination Act. Her address before the Alaska legislature proved decisive in passing the law — one of the first of its kind in the U.S., nearly two decades before the federal civil-rights acts. Beside her on the coin is the symbol of the Raven clan. Thus one woman turned personal dignity into a law that protected an entire community. A fine pick for a themed collection and a warm gift idea.