(CNN) — Cuban American artist Celia Cruz will be the first Latina singer to feature as part of the American Women Quarters Program, the US Mint announced.
Music legend Cruz, known as the Queen of Salsa, will be honored along with four others by appearing on a quarter in 2024.
Cruz was born in Havana in 1925 and died in 2003 in New Jersey.
The American Women Quarters Program “celebrates the achievements and contributions of America’s women,” according to the Mint.
It’s scheduled to last four years from 2022 until 2025.
In addition to Celia Cruz, the program’s 2024 class includes:
- 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 Episcopal priest, as well as a staunch defender of civil rights;
- Zitkala-Ša, also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, a writer, composer, educator, and political activist who championed Native Americans’ right to American citizenship and other civil rights long denied to them.
“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 said 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 coins will be published later this year.
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