As Broadway and Hollywood made Lin-Manuel Miranda a household name, the Puerto Rican artist has used his fame and platform for public service. The Hamilton and In the Heights star’s advocacy for Latinos and the arts has now earned him recognition from the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation.
The Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated Miranda is set to receive the foundation’s 2021 Service to America Leadership Award next month. The honor recognizes “individuals and organizations responsible for improving the lives of others through extraordinary public service,” according to the organization. It is the Leadership Foundation’s highest individual honor.
“As the creative force behind some of the most successful stage and screen productions in recent memory, Lin-Manuel Miranda has left an indelible mark on our culture,” says NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. “He has matched his outstanding success with an outspoken advocacy for Puerto Rico and the arts, and a steadfast commitment to helping communities grow, learn and thrive.”
An actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, and playwright, Miranda is the creator and original star of Hamilton and In the Heights, two multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals that have also been made into movies–the latter currently playing in theatres nationwide. His artistic work has also picked up a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, two Olivier Awards, and an Emmy Award, among others.
The New Yorkis also the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors and the 2019 Portrait of a Nation Prize. Furthermore, he received nominations for an Oscar and for four Golden Globe awards for his work in films like Moana, Mary Poppins Returns and the television miniseries Fosse/Verdon. He has also been featured in the TV series His Dark Materials and Duck Tales and has written the New York bestsellers “Hamilton: The Revolution” and “Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You.”
And now he’s adding director to his resume by helming the upcoming Netflix “Tick, Tick… Boom!” set for release later in 2021.
Arguably one of the busiest starts on the planet, he has also managed to remain involved in causes close to his heart.
He has been an active partner with the Hispanic Federation to help Puerto Rico’s relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria since 2017. He launched Raise Up, a digital fundraising campaign to support the Hispanic Federation Emergency Assistance Fund, which serves Latino communities throughout the nation. The fund has reportedly donated more than $14 million to 250 community-based organizations focusing on reaching the most impacted and vulnerable communities. It is said to be the most far-reaching Latino Covid-19 emergency relief effort in the country.
Miranda is also an advocate for the arts. He and the Flamboyan Foundation launched the Flamboyan Arts Fund in 2018, which has raised more than $15 million to support the arts and artisans in Puerto Rico. Last year the fund launched the Arts Innovation and Management Puerto Rico program to fund bilingual management training, business consulting, and natural disaster response resilience training for arts organizations.
Furthermore, Miranda partnered up with Jeffrey Seller and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History for the creation of the Hamilton Education Program five years ago to empower educators to integrate the arts and creativity in the study of the revolutionary and founding era. The program relies on original historic documents to inspire artistic pieces and has served about a quarter-million high school students. During the pandemic, it was expanded recently for use by middle school students as a free online program.
“We are delighted to commemorate (Miranda’s) storied accomplishments and dedication to public service with the Service to America Leadership Award,” says Smith, the NAB president.
Miranda will receive the award on July 10.
