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Campus Notebook: A Quarter of Equality

District residents — or anyone with a soft spot for the city — can now get rolls of Washington, D.C., quarters at banks, after the specialized coin began circulation Monday.

[IMGCAP(1)]D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) lobbied seven years ago to get the city included in the effort to design a coin for every state. She succeeded, though the Mint refused to inscribe the quarters with “Taxation Without Representation” — a phrase that refers to the city’s lack of a voting representative in Congress.

Instead, the quarter includes the city motto “Justice for All” and a picture of D.C. native Duke Ellington playing his piano.

In a press release, Norton tied the appearance of the coin with a House Judiciary subcommittee markup of a bill that would give the District a voting seat in the House.

“The District has gained another measure of equality and pride in being American citizens,” she said. “We rejoice at the circulation of the coin as we begin hearings on our voting rights tomorrow.”

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