Celia Cruz was used to making history. The late Cuban American icon recorded over 80 albums, earned 23 gold records, won five Grammy Awards, and received the president’s National Medal of Arts. And now, the U.S. Mint is honoring Cruz with a quarter of her own, making her the first Afro Latina to appear on the coin.
She is one of five honorees who are a part of the American Women Quarters Program for 2024. The program, which began in 2022 and runs until 2025, celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of American women. Other honorees for 2024 include 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; and Zitkala-Ša, a voting rights activist from the Yankton Sioux Nation.
“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 a statement.
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