Cuban-American singer Celia Cruz will be featured on the U.S. quarter, making her the first Afro Latina to appear on the coin. The “Queen of Salsa” is one of the new faces of women who will be on the 2024 coins as part of the American Women Quarters program.
The program which started in 2022 honors the achievements of American women. The other honorees for 2024 are civil rights activist Pauli Murray; Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to serve in Congress; Zitkala-Ša, an activist from the Yankton Sioux Nation; and Civil War surgeon and abolitionist Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.
“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,” Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson in a statement.
“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 quarters will be released in mid-2023. Cruz is being honored after building a legacy through career achievements. Here are three of her accomplishments.
