The late Cuban singer Celia Cruz’s face will be depicted on the country’s currency by the United States Mint.
According to the treasury department bureau in charge of coin production, the music legend will appear on the US quarter.
Cruz, also known as the Queen of Salsa, was chosen alongside four other outstanding women from history.
They will appear on a 25-cent coin as part of the American Women Quarters Program in 2024.
The four-year program honors the achievements and contributions of women in the United States.
Cruz will be the first Afro-Latina to appear on a coin as a result of her inclusion in the program.
The late Cuban American singer Celia Cruz is set to make history as the first Afro-Latina to appear on the U.S. quarter, later this year. pic.twitter.com/b291C6BQnx
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 8, 2023
Cruz is considered one of the most influential Latin singers of all time and a cultural icon.
She is remembered for her highly influential body of work consisting of 37 albums.
Cruz was a naturalized Cuban-American singer who became one of the twentieth century’s most popular Latin artists.
She rose to fame in Cuba during the 50s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname “La Guarachera de Cuba”.
Due to her work in Latin music, she became known as the “Queen of Salsa” in the following decades.
Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to serve in the United States Congress, is among those honored.
Mary Edwards Walker, a civil war-era surgeon and women’s rights advocate; Pauli Murray, a poet, activist, and lawyer; and Zitkala-a, a native American writer, composer, and educator, are among those honored.
“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 Ventris Gibson, the mint director, according to NPR.
“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.”