Early Life
editLuis A. Miranda Jr, is a political strategist, philanthropist, and advocacy consultant.
Luis was born and raised in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. He left Puerto Rico at 18 when he received a scholarship to New York University. He earned his BA degree from the University of Puerto Rico and pursued graduate work in psychology at New York University.
Career
editIn the 1980s he was a special advisor for Hispanic Affairs to the Mayor of New York CityEdward I. Koch, and served as Director of the Mayor’s Office for Hispanic Affairs from 1987 to 1989. In 1989, Luis was made a part of the Board of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation by Mayor Koch. Luis served under the Dinkins administration. In 1993, Luis was appointed by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. as Chairman to the Board of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation.
Luis has worked on numerous campaigns, including those for Hillary Rodham Clinton, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand’s campaigns for the U.S. Senate. Both in 2001 and 2005, Luis led Fernando Ferrer’s mayoral campaigns. Luis was the lead political consultant for the election of Letitia James in New York. He worked on Letitia’s first campaign as a public advocate then was the lead on her New York Attorney General campaign.
Luis is a founding partner of the MirRam Group which focuses on political and advocacy consulting. Luis was a founder and first president of the Hispanic Federation in 1990. Luis was the director of field services and research at the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, and held leadership positions at the Community Service Society, the NYC Department of Employment, the NYC Board of Education, and Aspira of New York. He is currently the chairperson of The Broadway League’s Latino audience development program, Viva Broadway. Luis is also the vice-chair of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, and a member of the advisory boards to Nielsen Ratings, and R.Evolucion Latina.
He founded the Amber Charter School in East Harlem in 2000. Luis currently serves as the board chair of the Latino Victory Fund and the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance. Luis is a board member of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, NYC & Company, the non-profit The City, John Jay College Foundation and The Public Theater. Luis is the chair for the advisory boards to the Caribbean and Latin American Studies Department at the CUNY Graduate Center and the Broadway League’s Viva Broadway.
Luis A. Miranda, Jr. was featured in Siempre, Luis, a documentary directed by John James. The film was a 2020 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection and premiered on HBO on October 6, 2020.
Personal life
editFamily
editLuis is married to Dr. Luz Towns-Mirandad. They have two biological children, Luz Miranda-Crespo and Lin-Manuel Miranda. They also have one adopted son, Miguel. They reside in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights/Inwood.
Activism
editLuis created the Flamboyan Arts Fund with the Flamboyan Foundation, his son Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the musical Hamilton. The fund raises money for arts and culture projects in Puerto Rico. Some Puerto Ricans have criticized Miranda's efforts on the Island due to their support of The Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). PROMESA created an oversight board for the fiscal management of seven individuals that were appointed by the US government rather than elected by Puerto Rican’s.
Awards and Achievements
editJune 17, 2020 - Power of Community Virtual Gala honoree March, 2020 - Dr. Antonia Pandoja Award, Aspira Foundation, Circle of Achievers February, 2020 - United States Hispanic Leadership Institute “Henry Lacayo Award” for lifetime achievement (with Nelson Cruz) October 17, 2019 - Broadway Housing Communities/Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling Gala honoree May, 2019 - Honorary Doctorate Degree, Rhode Island College May, 2019 - Honorary Doctorate Degree, CUNY University 2018 - The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Gala honoree 2017 - President’s Award at the 32nd annual Imagen Awards - Miranda Family
Filmography
editSiempre, Luis (2020 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection)
External links
editLuis A. Miranda Jr. IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10172691/ Luis A. Miranda, Jr. MirRam Group http://www.mirramgroup.com/luis-miranda-jr Luis A. Miranda, Jr. Latino Victory https://latinovictory.us/project/luis-a-miranda-jr/ Luis A. Miranda, Jr. Twitter https://twitter.com/vegalteno?lang=en Luis A. Miranda, Jr Revolucion Latina http://revolucionlatina.org/advisor/luis-miranda/ Atlantic Article: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/10/siempre-luis-shows-luis-miranda-political-charisma/616638/ Miami Herald Article https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article246860832.html New Yorker Article https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/12/the-dad-who-taught-lin-manuel-miranda-retail-politics NBC News Article https://news.yahoo.com/siempre-luis-look-lin-manuel-110800219.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAZsYWSucoBDqu50XnpYdl_QTVozhAPTkEfLMEreT5eAaal7Tf3Q2P0jG7xHSvp7aB-Vj3yeETl6YFx9zrdSOnXFoz2OECGxCLwoH-sF-T7xq-UWNdEXFyW2qQNi5kwbBrafuKlTUZVYfAroQILCgBmv1_vtbVRXHG-hizKdmp1S Refinery29 Article https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/10/10071558/what-is-luis-miranda-doing-now-election-activism-covid EW News Article https://ew.com/tv/siempre-luis-lin-manuel-miranda-interview/ Washington Post Article https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/lin-manuel-miranda-luis-miranda-hbo-documentary/2020/10/07/336b50fa-fdae-11ea-8d05-9beaaa91c71f_story.html NYTimes Article https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/movies/siempre-luis-review.html Bustle Article https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/where-is-luis-miranda-now-the-siempre-luis-subject-is-very-busy Time Magazine https://time.com/5894757/lin-manuel-luis-miranda-hamilton-election-documentary/ NPR Article https://www.npr.org/2019/01/11/684610164/hamilton-arrives-in-puerto-rico-bringing-a-bit-of-controversy-with-it
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