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Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns she is worth less.
Myra Pollack SadkerProfessor, Author, Researcher, and Activist
Did You Know?
After her emigration to the U.S. from her native Cuba, Celia Cruz adopted her iconic exclamation ¡AZUCAR! liberally in her performances. She claimed that her interjection originated at a Miami restaurant, where she was shocked by the question of whether she wanted sugar in her coffee. She used the word when singing to express intense joy in the sweetness of the moment. At the same time, its literal meaning (sugar) evoked her Spanish-speaking, Afro-Cuban identity. Cuba’s economy rested on sugar production, which had historically depended on Black enslaved labor and the African diaspora. Living as an exile, Cruz had to assert her passion for sugar and, through it, her very Cubanidad.
You can learn more about Celia Cruz as we celebrate the release of her US Quarter, as well as other singers from US History in this month’s featured biographies.
Use the NWHM’s compendium of online biographies to spark curiosity and dig deeper into women’s impact throughout our shared national history. Explore more here.
If we want our girls to benefit from the courage and wisdom of the women before them, we have to share the stories.
Shireen Dodson
Explore Virtual Exhibits
Las Mujeres Corren / Las Mujeres Ganan: Latinas en el Congreso
Representación con Guión: Latinas en la Lucha por el Sufragio Femenino
Students and Educators
Discover our educational resources. Find lesson plans, biographies, posters, timelines, videos, and more on a wide variety of women's history topics.