A North Jersey legend has been memorialized on a newly released U.S. quarter issued by the United States Mint.
Revealed last week, the new quarter honoring three-time Grammy award-winning Cuban-American singer Celia Cruz is available now from the U.S. Mint as part of its American Women Quarters Program's 2024 series. The program launched in 2022 is set to honor 20 American trailblazers by the end of 2025.
A longtime resident of Fort Lee, Cruz is the 14th woman to get a special quarter and the first Afro-Latina ever to appear on the U.S. quarter. Born in Cuba in October 1925, the 20th century's “Queen of Salsa" spent the final 42 years of her life living near New York City's Latin music scene on the eastern edge of Bergen County.
As a child, Cruz had a dream of becoming a teacher but her singing talent was too much to ignore. She transferred from the Normal School for Teachers in Havana to the National Conservatory of Music before touring Mexico and Venezuela and finding modest success through performances on Cuban radio.
Her career took off in 1950 when she joined Sonora Matancera, a legendary Cuban orchestra. Cruz, who defected from Cuba with the group in 1960, became a cultural icon. Her presence spanned music, film and fashion. She made cameos in Mexican films and famously collaborated with Tito Puente. One of her iconic dresses, a long colorful sequined gown, has been on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Cruz's quarter is pressed with an image of her in a ruffled, ornate gown with a microphone in hand. Next to her is a font displaying her trademark phrase: "¡Azúcar!" The battle cry, which translates to "Sugar!," grew spontaneously a singular assertive order of Cuban coffee in Miami, according to her version of the tale. Minted in Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco, the coin can be purchased now through the U.S. Mint's website in rolls, bags and as part of the 2024 American Women Quarters proof sets.
Each quarter in the program features a portrait of George Washington on its front face. That right-facing portrait created by Laura Gardin Fraser for the 1932 quarter differs from the common left-facing design by John Flanagan.
The first quarter celebrated writer, performer and social activist Maya Angelou. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Mexican American journalist Jovita Idar and Bessie Coleman, the first African American and Native American woman to hold a pilot's license, have also been recognized with commemorative quarters.
Cruz, who died of brain cancer in July 2003, was honored in 2022 by the State of New Jersey with a special tribute. Since, the Forked River service area plaza on the Garden State Parkway has been rebranded as the Celia Cruz Service Area.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New U.S. quarter honors three-time Grammy winning legend from North Jersey
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