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00:00I was, I never had a chance at another line of work.
00:03My parents listened to show tunes all the time.
00:07And you should also know their first romantic date
00:10was at a protest at the Supreme Court
00:12in support of affirmative action.
00:15So I was always kind of destined to be in this room too.
00:22When other kids had a paper route,
00:24I was in charge of registering voters
00:26up and down Dykeman Street in Upper Manhattan.
00:30We would do toy drives for Three Kings Day.
00:33It's just always been a part of our family's ethos.
00:39And so that's fundamental to everything we do,
00:42from writing in the Heights to Moana to Encanto.
00:47I see diversity as the greatest thing we have
00:51and the greatest thing we export as a country.
00:54It's a prerequisite for me getting to talk to you here tonight.
00:57And so at a time when corporations are running scared of DEI
01:05because of the new administration, we're leaning into that.
01:08We're rushing into that space and reminding folks
01:10that more stories mean better stories,
01:12mean better representation,
01:14mean more fun at the theater or at the movies
01:17because you're seeing something you've never seen before.
01:19When we created the Miranda Family Fund,
01:23we wanted to uplift communities with less access.
01:28And really everything we've done has really been focused
01:30on getting more artists of color
01:34and removing their barriers to entry.
01:37You shouldn't have to spend your 20s writing in the Heights
01:39just to get a seat at the table.
01:42I want to make it a little easier for the folks
01:43behind me and across from me.
01:47And it's happened very organically
01:49from partnerships with the Telsey office
01:51to make sure that the people casting the shows
01:54look like the people in the shows
01:55to co-creating with Maestro Music the Rise directory
02:00and removing the lie that there aren't talented artists
02:03and technicians of color in every part of our theater industry.
02:09We're looking to just get more and more seats at the table.
02:13We have something called the Miranda Family Fellowship
02:15and we provide scholarships, professional training,
02:18mentorship opportunities, and full-time paid fellowships.
02:22Most of the time, the folks who can afford
02:24to get into the theater business
02:25can afford that free internship that turns into a paid job.
02:29We pay those internships for artists of color
02:31so that they can also have seats at the table.
02:37And at a time when immigrants are being vilified
02:41more than ever and scapegoated
02:43for all the ills of the world.
02:45I didn't mean it as an applause line,
02:47but it gets the biggest applause in our show,
02:50Hamilton, which is celebrating its 10th year.
02:53Immigrants, we get the job done.
02:55Your Chilean sea bass is next.
02:56Thank you for having me.
02:57It's an honor to be in this room with you all.