Celia Cruz becomes first Afro Latina featured on U.S. quarter

The U.S. Mint has released a limited edition quarter to honor the “Queen of Salsa,” Celia Cruz. She’s the first Afro Latina to be featured on U.S. currency.
The release is part of the American Women Quarters Program, which recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of women throughout American history.
The program, which began in 2022 and continues through 2025, issues five new quarter designs each year.
Each coin includes the standard portrait of George Washington on one side.
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The reverse side of this coin showcases an image of Cruz beaming her signature smile while dressed in a rumba-style outfit. Her famous catchphrase “¡AZÚCAR!” is engraved on the right. Mint medallic artist Phebe Hemphill created and sculpted the coin.
The coins began shipping earlier this month.
The cultural influence of “Queen of Salsa” #CeliaCruz reached well beyond her music. Discover how! Get inspired by all the #AmericanWomenQuarters honorees! #HerQuarter #USMint https://t.co/FuqSFxOFp8 pic.twitter.com/xdodAQzv7l
Cruz was born in Cuba on Oct. 21, 1925. She left Cuba in 1960 after the revolution led by Fidel Castro. According to the Celia Cruz Foundation, she received numerous awards and honors, including four Latin Grammy Awards, the President’s National Medal of Arts, and three Grammy Awards. She was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame and the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Cruz’s significant breakthrough occurred when she became the lead singer for the Afro-Cuban orchestra La Sonora Matancera. During this period, she created her iconic shout “Azucar!” (Sugar!) after a waiter in a Miami restaurant asked if she wanted sugar in her coffee.
Cruz passed away from brain cancer in 2003. She was honored with a U.S. postage stamp in 2011.
Other women recognized with U.S. quarters this year are: