RAICES GALA 2021
Not only are we honoring the Mirandas at the Raices Gala, we are also honoring Carmen Febo-San Miguel, just before her retirement from Taller Puertorriqueño where she has spent 22 years at the helm, creating opportunities for Puerto Rican arts and culture.
After 22 years at the helm of Pennsylvania’s largest Puerto Rican and Latinx arts organization, Dr. Carmen Febo San Miguel, M.D., will be retiring in October 2021. She was born in Ciales, Puerto Rico, graduating magna cum laude, followed by medical school, both at the University of Puerto Rico. She moved to Philadelphia for her residency in Family Practice at Hahnemann Hospital and Medical Center, in 1974. Upon completion of her residency, she became Medical Director of the Spring Garden Family Health Services Center in Philadelphia, serving a primarily poor Puerto Rican and African-American population. After moving back to Puerto Rico in 1979 to work at the Naranjito Health Center serving a rural population, Dr. Febo San Miguel returned to Philadelphia in 1984, where she assumed the position of Medical Director of Germantown Family Medicine Associates, managing all aspects of a private medical practice.
She became Taller’s Executive Director in 1999 after 14 years as Board Chair. Dr. Febo San Miguel is deeply committed to Taller’s goals and mission of education and dissemination about the rich cultural heritage of Puerto Rico, Latinx and other groups including African Americans. She served on the Mayor’s Commission on Arts and Culture under Mayor Goode, as a member of the Advisory Council on Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy under Mayor Nutter and now under Mayor Kenny. She is a member of the City Art Commission and a board member of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Under her tenure, first as Chair of the Board, and then as Executive Director, Taller has grown from an almost extinct organization to one that has successfully completed a capital campaign and construction of new headquarters, the $11.5 million state of the art, El Corazón Cultural Center, with a budget of over $1 million and a growing permanent staff of 15. As Executive Director, she has led Taller’s programmatic agenda in the expansion of Art Residencies into School District and other charter schools through the Visit Us program, developed new collaborations to exhibit Taller’s art collection at off-sites, led the coordination of the ever-expanding Feria del Barrio and has been called to collaborate and/or produce programming for the Kimmel’s International Festival for the Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Historical Society, and the Barnes Foundation, among others
Dr. Febo San Miguel is the recipient of numerous awards. Those more recent and relevant to arts and education include:
2018 PA Hispanic Bar Association “La Justicia” Award 1-182018 PA Hispanic Bar Association “La Justicia” Award 1-18
2017 Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania Take the Lead Award 3-17
Hispanic Choice Lifetime Achievement Award 10-15
Bread and Roses Paul Robeson Life Achievement Award 9-10
________
Honoring Luis A. Miranda, Jr.
and Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda
This year at the Raices Gala, the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture is honoring these national figures who have brought recognition and acclaim to the Puerto Rican culture.
About Luis and Luz Miranda
Luis A. Miranda, Jr. has four decades of experience as a leader in the public, private, political, and advocacy sectors. He is the founding partner of The MirRam Group, founding president of the Hispanic Federation, and board chair of the Latino Victory Fund. He is recognized as a key contributor to the Senate campaigns of Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton. Most recently he managed Letitia James’ successful campaign to become New York State Attorney General.
For over 40 years, Luis and the Miranda family have championed community activism and Latinx-led organizations. They have created and fostered institutions that work with underserved populations in Upper Manhattan and communities throughout New York City, across the country, and in Puerto Rico. They continue to support advocacy for education, the arts, and social justice, along with a sustained focus on relief and rebuilding efforts in post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico.
Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda is a psychologist/psychoanalyst, and her career has focused on providing services to the underserved in mental health clinics, training physicians in Family Practice Residency Programs, and foster care. She was appointed to the NYS Psychology Board in 2000. She and her husband, Luis Miranda, raised Luz Miranda-Crespo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Miguel Towns. They have 6 grandchildren and still live in their first home in Washington Heights/Inwood.
Read MoreAfter 22 years at the helm of Pennsylvania’s largest Puerto Rican and Latinx arts organization, Dr. Carmen Febo San Miguel, M.D., will be retiring in October 2021. She was born in Ciales, Puerto Rico, graduating magna cum laude, followed by medical school, both at the University of Puerto Rico. She moved to Philadelphia for her residency in Family Practice at Hahnemann Hospital and Medical Center, in 1974. Upon completion of her residency, she became Medical Director of the Spring Garden Family Health Services Center in Philadelphia, serving a primarily poor Puerto Rican and African-American population. After moving back to Puerto Rico in 1979 to work at the Naranjito Health Center serving a rural population, Dr. Febo San Miguel returned to Philadelphia in 1984, where she assumed the position of Medical Director of Germantown Family Medicine Associates, managing all aspects of a private medical practice.
She became Taller’s Executive Director in 1999 after 14 years as Board Chair. Dr. Febo San Miguel is deeply committed to Taller’s goals and mission of education and dissemination about the rich cultural heritage of Puerto Rico, Latinx and other groups including African Americans. She served on the Mayor’s Commission on Arts and Culture under Mayor Goode, as a member of the Advisory Council on Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy under Mayor Nutter and now under Mayor Kenny. She is a member of the City Art Commission and a board member of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Under her tenure, first as Chair of the Board, and then as Executive Director, Taller has grown from an almost extinct organization to one that has successfully completed a capital campaign and construction of new headquarters, the $11.5 million state of the art, El Corazón Cultural Center, with a budget of over $1 million and a growing permanent staff of 15. As Executive Director, she has led Taller’s programmatic agenda in the expansion of Art Residencies into School District and other charter schools through the Visit Us program, developed new collaborations to exhibit Taller’s art collection at off-sites, led the coordination of the ever-expanding Feria del Barrio and has been called to collaborate and/or produce programming for the Kimmel’s International Festival for the Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Historical Society, and the Barnes Foundation, among others
Dr. Febo San Miguel is the recipient of numerous awards. Those more recent and relevant to arts and education include:
2018 PA Hispanic Bar Association “La Justicia” Award 1-182018 PA Hispanic Bar Association “La Justicia” Award 1-18
2017 Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania Take the Lead Award 3-17
Hispanic Choice Lifetime Achievement Award 10-15
Bread and Roses Paul Robeson Life Achievement Award 9-10
________
Honoring Luis A. Miranda, Jr.
and Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda
This year at the Raices Gala, the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture is honoring these national figures who have brought recognition and acclaim to the Puerto Rican culture.
About Luis and Luz Miranda
Luis A. Miranda, Jr. has four decades of experience as a leader in the public, private, political, and advocacy sectors. He is the founding partner of The MirRam Group, founding president of the Hispanic Federation, and board chair of the Latino Victory Fund. He is recognized as a key contributor to the Senate campaigns of Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton. Most recently he managed Letitia James’ successful campaign to become New York State Attorney General.
For over 40 years, Luis and the Miranda family have championed community activism and Latinx-led organizations. They have created and fostered institutions that work with underserved populations in Upper Manhattan and communities throughout New York City, across the country, and in Puerto Rico. They continue to support advocacy for education, the arts, and social justice, along with a sustained focus on relief and rebuilding efforts in post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico.
Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda is a psychologist/psychoanalyst, and her career has focused on providing services to the underserved in mental health clinics, training physicians in Family Practice Residency Programs, and foster care. She was appointed to the NYS Psychology Board in 2000. She and her husband, Luis Miranda, raised Luz Miranda-Crespo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Miguel Towns. They have 6 grandchildren and still live in their first home in Washington Heights/Inwood.
