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Salsa superstar Celia Cruz is set to make U.S. history nearly two decades after her death [1]

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Date: 2023-02-09  

Cruz’s impact on music is indelible, rocketing to U.S. fame after being exiled from Cuba in the early 1960s. Her accomplishments during her lifetime included nearly two dozen gold records, five competitive Grammy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a President’s National Medal of Arts before her death from cancer at age 77 in 2003.

“Her energetic stage presence, extravagant costumes, and incredible voice made her a household name during her more than 60-year career,” NPR noted. Proving that point, tens of thousands of mourners gathered to view the horse-drawn carriage that carried her body to New York City’s St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Cruz was “a symbol of pride and freedom” for the Cuban community, and “brought Afro-Cuban music to the world stage as a black woman in the face of widespread racism and sexism,” NPR said in 2018.

The 2023 honorees are among the earliest picks of the American Women Quarters Program, which kicked off last year and runs through 2025. The Mint said, “individuals honored through this program reflects a wide range of accomplishments and fields, including suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space, and the arts.”

Cruz was last year also among the notable figures selected for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino’s preview. While unclear if intentional, designs for the upcoming coins will be released in mid-2023, which will coincide with the 20th anniversary of Cruz’s death. It’s a fitting honor for a musical legend who continues to inspire listeners.

“The women pioneered change during their lifetimes, not yielding to the status quo imparted during their lives,” Gibson continued. “By honoring these pioneering women, the Mint continues to connect America through coins which are like small works of art in your pocket.”

Listen to The Downballot for an in-depth analysis of the 2024 Arizona Senate race and the implications of Kyrsten Sinema's re-election decision. Special guest Victoria McGroary, the Executive Director of BOLD PAC, will also discuss the efforts to prevent losses among Hispanic voters and the fight against disinformation in Spanish language media.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/9/2152088/-Salsa-superstar-Celia-Cruz-is-set-to-make-U-S-history-nearly-two-decades-after-her-death

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