Key takeaways:
- Celia Cruz will be honored on a quarter in 2024 as part of the American Women Quarters Program, making her the first Latina singer to be featured in the program.
- Cruz’s music career spanned 60 years and she received multiple Grammy awards and a National Medal of Arts.
- The American Women Quarters Program was launched in 2020 to recognize people of diverse ethnic, racial and geographical backgrounds for their accomplishments.
The US Mint has announced that Cuban American singer Celia Cruz will be honored on a quarter in 2024, as part of the American Women Quarters Program. Cruz, known as the Queen of Salsa, will be the first Latina singer to be featured in the program.
Cruz first made her mark as the lead singer of La Sonora Matancera, a well-known orchestra in her home country of Cuba. Her music career spanned 60 years, during which she received multiple Grammy awards and a National Medal of Arts. In 1961, she immigrated to the U.S., where she helped shape and define salsa music.
The American Women Quarters Program was launched in 2020 to recognize people of diverse ethnic, racial and geographical backgrounds for their accomplishments. The program’s 2024 class includes Cruz, as well as Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to hold a seat in Congress; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Civil War surgeon, women’s rights advocate and abolitionist; Pauli Murray, poet, writer, activist, lawyer; and Bessie Coleman, the first African American female pilot.
The Mint has been issuing commemorative coins since 1792, and the American Women Quarters Program is the latest effort to honor the accomplishments of women throughout history. The program is part of the Mint’s ongoing commitment to recognize the contributions of women in American history.
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