'Hamilton' creator Lin-Manuel Miranda visited Puerto Rico, the island where his family is from and where he spent summers, and announced that several organizations will be receiving much needed economic help.
The Hispanic Federation, a New York based Latino non-profit founded by Miranda's father, Luis Miranda, has awarded seven organizations $100,000 each from a fund that totals $2.5 million, created in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which ravaged the island in September.
The recipients include non-profits that provide social services, sustainable agriculture and help protect the environment, among others.
The plan is for other organizations working on innovative projects on the island to continue receiving money from the fund, called “Amanece/Road to Recovery.”
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The Hispanic Federation will donate between $50,000 and $100,000 to 25 organizations. The groups must have projects that are sustainable and self-sufficient, Puerto Rico’s newspaper El Nuevo Día reports.
During a press conference in Puerto Rico, the Broadway playwright and actor said in Spanish, “I’m going to continue speaking up and helping Puerto Rico. I want you to know we are here en las buenas y en las malas, during the good and the bad," he said. "There are so many people around the world thinking about this island.”
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During the day, Miranda tweeted some of the images of the devastation wrought by the Caribbean's worst hurricane in over a century.
Miranda announced he will participate in the Unity March for Puerto Rico that will be held in Washington, DC on November 19. The protest aims to raise awareness about the island's situation and protest against laws that many groups feel are not beneficial to the people of Puerto Rico, like the Jones Act. This law requires goods shipped from the U.S. to be carried on vessels owned operated, and built by Americans.
