Celia Cruz, the famous Cuban-American singer who passed away in 2003, was selected by the U.S. Mint to appear on quarter dollar coins in 2024. The American Women Quarters program, which selects notable women in the country's history, selected the artist to pay tribute to the achievements she made during her lifetime, as well as the contributions she made to the country.
Celia Cruz became the first Latina singer to be chosen as part of the program, which began in 2022 and will last only four years. "By honoring them with the creation of these coins, we connect the country through small pieces of art that people can carry in their pockets," said coin program director Ventris Gibson.
According to the American Women Quarter website, up to five new reverse designs are issued each year, while on the obverse remains the portrait of George Washington facing right.
MAKING HISTORY: Cuban American artist Celia Cruz, known as the Queen of Salsa, will be the first Latina singer to feature as part of the American Women Quarters Program, the US Mint announced. https://t.co/HyCXCarvI1 pic.twitter.com/1HFArZL904
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) February 8, 2023
Who was Celia Cruz?
Ursula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, better known as Celia Cruz, the guarachera of Cuba, was born in Havana, the capital of the Caribbean island in 1925. He became known in the 50's singing for the Sonora Matancera orchestra.
In 1966 she traveled to New York and soon after began to become the greatest exponent of salsa music, winning several awards including the National Medal of Arts in the United States. Celia Cruz died of a brain tumor at the age of 78 in New Jersey.
Other women recognized for 2024
The other four women honored by American Women Quarters for the coming year are: Patsy Takemoto Mink (the first woman of color to reach Congress), Mary Edwards Walker (women's rights advocate and surgeon during the Civil War), Pauli Murray (writer, poet, lawyer and civil rights advocate) and Zitkala-Sa (composer, writer and Native American rights activist).
