The late Cuban American salsa singer Celia Cruz has been selected to appear on U.S quarters later this year, making history as the first Afro-Latina to receive the honor.
Cruz is a beloved icon in Cuban music and is largely lauded for her contributions to the guaracha and salsa genres. Aside from her colorful looks and infectious charisma, Cruz is most globally recognized for her anthem “¡Azúcar!”
The term, which translates to “sugar,” became a trademark saying for the singer, and regularly appears in modern-day salsa songs. The saying later became an emblematic remembrance of enslaved Africans who worked on Cuban sugar plantations.
Her other hits, like “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” and “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” varied from merengue to reggaeton and rumba. She went on to record 37 albums in total, and while she mostly remained in the realm of music, Cruz also starred in films like 1992’s “The Mambo Kings.”
Cruz died in 2003 at the age of 77 from brain cancer. Before her death, salsa artists Marc Anthony and Gloria Estefan hosted a tribute event called “¡Celia Cruz: Azúcar!,” which was Cruz’s final public performance. The event featured musical performances by Victor Manuelle, Paulina Rubio, Patti LaBelle and Gloria Gaynor, to name a few.
The move to commemorate the singer on a quarter comes as part of the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters Program for 2024, which also included bids for four other honorees: Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to serve in Congress;Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War surgeon and suffragist;Pauli Murray, a civil rights activist and lawyer; andZitkala-Ša, a voting rights activist.
“All of the women being honored have lived remarkable and multi-faceted lives, and have made a significant impact on our Nation in their own unique way,” said Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson in the official announcement. “The women pioneered change during their lifetimes, not yielding to the status quo imparted during their lives. By honoring these pioneering women, the Mint continues to connect America through coins which are like small works of art in your pocket.”
The designs for the 2024 American Women Quarters will be released in mid-2023.
