Away Message’s Season 3, Episode 3: Stop Making Cents

Did a black woman from Mooresville create the image of President Roosevelt on the dime? A search for the truth reveals the facts that matter, and the facts that don’t.

written by
photograph by Office of War Information Collection

To catch up on seasons 1-3, listen here.

A woman from Mooresville became Mecklenburg County’s first black nurse. Then she became a prolific and well-respected artist. Along the way, she got President Franklin D. Roosevelt to sit for her, and the relief sculpture she created looks very similar to the likeness that’s on the dime. Is it hers? Or is it a coincidence?

This story was published on

Jeremy Markovich is a digital manager, writer, and podcast host at Our State.

×
×