Activism Through Art // Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez


Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez embodies the word creator.  
 
He’s a writer at Marvel Entertainment, Editor-in-Chief at Darryl Makes Comics working with the legendary hip-hop icon: DMC from RUN DMC, Art Director & founder at Somos Arte production studio, and the creator of La Borinqueña, an original comic book character that has grown into a cultural phenomenon and a nationally recognized symbol of Puerto Rican patriotism, social justice, and equality for all.
 
His work has been featured on CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post & The Atlantic.

Five Things To Listen Out For

 
(1) Growing up as a Puerto Rican in NYC – what life was like growing up poor in the Bronx, memories from being a young activist, poet, and creator.
 
(2) Comic Books – how he got into creating comic books, writing for Marvel + creating his own publication: La Borinqueña.
 
(3) Teaming up with DMC from RUN DMC – how they met, their creative process and how they split up responsibilities.
 
(4) Direct-to-Consumer – publishing directly to people and spreading his creative work to fans.
 
(5) Generating Buzz + Press – Edgardo has been featured on CNN, New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and more – how did he approach this and get his work out there?

Time Stamps

– 2:38 … who is Edgardo and what does he do?
– 4:14 … Edgardo describing pictures Bilal shows from growing up
– 9:50 … power of the arts, reflecting on what’s going on in society
– 10:09 … challenge of being viewed as a second class citizen
– 11:10 … hypocrisy within Latin American communities and media
– 12:05 … “I’m not a race, I’m an “ethnicity”
– 13:31 … stories as a form of evolution
– 15:00 … self-awareness from an early age + growing up
– 17:03 … learning about Mandela + apartheid
– 17:57 … college + local activism
– 23:30 … comic book has become a  symbol for people + the women’s march reaching out to him
– 27:19 … being proud of his heritage
– 28:40 … distributing book directly to the people + direct to consumer trend
– 30:37 … comic book world / who’s buying books
– 35:36 … working alongside DMC from legendary hip-hop group: RUN DMC
– 40:12 … our heritage and culture is the true superpower
– 40:38 … approaching press and social media to promote his book
– 42:13 … people want to know who you are and “why” you create … not “what” you create
– 49:51 … an ask for the people who are listening

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