[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 107 (Friday, July 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1538-E1539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ON REMEMBERING CELIA CRUZ

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 18, 2003

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, today, the Latin music world mourns 
the passing of ``The Queen of Salsa,'' ``La Reina de la Salsa'', Celia 
Cruz, who passed away 43 years and one day after she left her homeland, 
Cuba, for the United States. I am honored to recall how Celia Cruz, the 
world-renowned performer, and I crossed paths at different moments. She 
sang at my first victory party, celebrating my win as the first Cuban-
American woman to win a seat in Congress in a special election in 1989. 
She accompanied me to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when I went to visit the 
Cuban rafters detained on our base, to see for myself their living 
conditions and physical well-being. I will never forget how she kissed 
the ground when our plane landed and how she sang that day to the 
Cubans held there with the passion and love of a true native who has 
been presented the chance of standing on her native soil, even though 
poignantly, it was on our base, after so many years. She was also a 
friend to the Republican Party, performing at the 2000 Republican 
convention in Philadelphia, where President George W. Bush accepted the 
nomination to the presidency.
  In her long career, Celia Cruz never forgot the country of her birth, 
evoking Cuba in every performance, but never returning to her homeland. 
She was a political exile who never returned to Cuba, not even when her 
father died, denied entry by Fidel Castro, who was

[[Page E1539]]

still angry at her defection many years before. When Fidel Castro came 
to power in 1959, Celia was the lead singer of La Sonora Matancera, 
Cuba's most popular orchestra. The group headlined Havana's world-
famous Tropicana nightclub and casino and toured the United States and 
Central and South America. La Sonora Matancera's fame and frequent 
tours provided them an escape route, by pretending they were going on 
another tour, never returning to Cuba.
  I am honored to be here today to talk about a music legend. She 
recorded more than 70 albums, many of them gold and platinum records, 
and received twelve Grammy nominations, winning for the first time in 
1989. Celia was honored with stars and street sections in some of the 
most well-known avenues of the world. Hollywood gave her a star on the 
Walk of Fame in 1987. Miami's Calle Ocho was named ``Celia Cruz 
Way'' and presented her with a star, an honor she has received in other 
cities such as San Jose, Costa Rica and the Plaza Galeria in Mexico 
City, Mexico. She received many awards and distinctions, which include 
a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Smithsonian Institution, the 
prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Heritage 
Awards, and in 1994, she received in the White House the highest honor 
the United States can bestow on an artist: the National Endowment for 
the Arts.

  Celia Cruz was a musical icon that made Cuban music known beyond our 
national borders while touching different generations. Lovers of Latin 
music worldwide embraced her style and boundless energy on the stage as 
they enjoyed her contagious music and rhythms. For the Cuban American 
exile community, she was the link between young Cuban Americans and 
their parents' generation, making Cuba a reality to the younger 
generation by providing them with the music that entertained their 
parents and their grandparents.
  Celia's fondest dream never became a reality: the opportunity of 
returning to a free and democratic Cuba. This woman who sang for 
presidents and heads of state worldwide simply wanted to return one day 
to the country she had known. She hoped to one day perform again in the 
land of her birth, and to utter her signature catch phrase ``Azucar'' 
to her fellow Cubans. She left us before her dream became a reality, 
but I say ``Azucar'' in her honor and in her memory.
  Celia, I know that you can hear us this evening. We love you and your 
music will continue to live in our hearts. We will never forget you. I 
promise you, Celia, that I will continue to work tirelessly in the 
United States Congress for your dream of a free and democratic Cuba. At 
that time, the Cuban people will once again be able to enjoy your music 
filled with rich, Cuban rhythms and Afro beats ``en libertad''--in 
freedom. May you rest in peace, Celia!

                          ____________________