Graphic novelist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez will discuss how growing up with a love of comic books gave light for his passion for social justice. He will address the humanitarian crisis affecting Puerto Rico via the current debt crisis and the recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria. Through his presentation, you’ll come to understand why he created La Borinqueña to help bring these issues to light and also create an icon for an underrepresented community that embodies cultural pride, power, and resilience like its people.

Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez is a graphic novelist most notably recognized as the writer and creator of the critically acclaimed and bestselling superhero series La Borinqueña that is part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museums. As the Creative Director and owner of Somos Arte, a Brooklyn-based creative services studio, he has worked with such notable clients as Atlantic Records, Columbia University, Sony Pictures and Marvel. He is a featured storyteller in HBO's documentary “Habla Now”, the latest installment of the award-winning "Habla" series. In 2019, he was the recipient of the San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic efforts via the benefit anthology Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico. He is also an Arts Envoy for the U.S. Department of State.