Things That Matter

Lin-Manuel Miranda Reacts To Protesters Using His Lyrics On Signs

By February 6, 2017 at 7:57 pm

After President Donald Trump signed the now infamous executive order that indefinitely bars Syrian refugees and temporarily bans all other refugees as well as citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, the protests were on. At every protest, there are signs voicing disgust and outrage. You’ll also see lyrics from the mega-hit hip-hop musical “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda being quoted on placards all over the world.

Seeing the lyrics that he wrote being used to fight back gives him all the feels because Miranda believes the ban is “deeply un-American” and goes “against the fundamental freedom of religion in our constitution.” He told HuffPo in a phone interview:

There was an incredible protest sign that read ‘History Has Its Eyes On You’ and it had Carrie Fisher as Leia’s eyes over it, and I was so moved by the moment. When you’re making something, you don’t control what happens [in response]. You can only control the thing you make. So, to see it ripple back in that way, it’s very moving and very humbling.

And no doubt the Tony Award winning musical about the life and times of Alexander Hamilton is replete with quotes that remain relevant in today’s political chaos.

There’s the truth about how immigrants contribute to this nation’s growth.

Credit: rixmc/Twitter

There’s criticism about how women and their rights are dismissed.

Credit: emmieinthecity/Twitter

And isn’t this just the perfect burn for someone who can’t seem to speak in complete sentences?

Credit: heidiscribbles/Twitter

Then there’s the perfect call to action: Rise up!

Credit: littleamers/Twitter

As for those who stand and watch injustice without taking a stand: tsk, tsk, tsk.

Credit: elspethoakley/Twitter

Putting it all in perspective.

Credit: lynnmanuell/Twitter

The next time you are headed to a protest and contemplating what to put on your blank sign, feel free to borrow Miranda’s lyrics – they get the job done.

Click here to find out more about how Miranda feels about his lyrics being used to protest the immigration ban.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs A Freestyle Song ‘OK Boomer’ And It’s A Hit

Entertainment

Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs A Freestyle Song ‘OK Boomer’ And It’s A Hit

By April 23, 2020 at 3:09 pm
BY  | April 23, 2020 AT 3:09 pm
Team Coco / YouTube

There are seldom things to get overly excited about these days but people are still trying to make us all laugh. Conan O’Brien has been doing shows from his home like so many other late show hosts and even “Saturday Night Live.” Thankfully, Lin-Manuel Miranda recently joined O’Brien and it was magic.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Conan O’Brien “collaborated” on a new song and it is already a hit.

“OK Boomer” was born out of two things: O’Brien being able to talk about his day in great detail and Miranda’s musical genius abilities and willingness to listen. At the beginning of the video, Miranda asks O’Brien to tell him about his day. O’Brien delivers a very detailed account of his day and in the end, Miranda took that information and gave us “OK Boomer.”

“OK, Boomer. When are you gonna leave home? I go to the Zoom, I enter the room,” Miranda sings. “I want to see if I look cute and if I can temporarily unmute with the space bar. So, I ask my son, ‘Hey, do I hit the f—ing space bar?’ And he says to me, ‘OK, Boomer.'”

The songs bring the two grown men to fits of laughter and it is clear why. The song is as ridiculous as you need to find some humor during these crazy times. It also shows that not even a quarantine can break the human spirit.

Fans are already loving the song because of what it is about.

The comedy of the song is enough to make people laugh and forget their issues for a short while. Who else doesn’t feel like their life has become so mundane that it is hard to find some humor? Miranda is there to show us all that there are things that will still make you smile and laugh.

Some people want to let it get them through the day.

Just listen to it once all the way through. It is a song that doesn’t get to wild and is hard to get annoyed with. It will make you laugh and smile. It truly shows the selflessness that Miranda embodies on his day-to-day.

Some people just wish they could be as comforted by Miranda.

For people isolating alone, it can be very lonely. With no one to talk to, it is easy to feel so disconnected from the world because we are all just tucked away in our spaces. Imagine being able to talk to Miranda and have him listen to you so intently that he sings you a song that captures what you said. Wouldn’t that just make you feel so seen?

Thank you, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

You are a small piece of the puzzle that helps us make sense and find peace in this whole mess.

READ: Anthony Ramos Recalls Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Advice About Not Having To Change How You Speak

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Conan O'BrienHamiltonSingerlin-manuel mirandaMusicPuerto Rico

A Quick Explanation About What Is Happening In The Dominican Republic

Things That Matter

A Quick Explanation About What Is Happening In The Dominican Republic

By February 28, 2020 at 9:59 am
BY  | February 28, 2020 AT 9:59 am
josejhan / Instagram

Dominicans across the world are protesting in unison to demand transparency in the recent elections in the Dominican Republic. The protests stem from a recent municipal election that many are calling into question. Faulty voting machines and a lack of transparency have set off a warning call within the global Dominican community fearing election tampering and a power grab. Here’s what we know so far.

Dominicans are demanding answers about irregularities in the latest election on the island.

Four hours into the voting process, the Dominican government reported irregularities with the voting machines. According to officials, 60 percent of the voting machines were experiencing the same issue of showing voters incomplete ballots. Many showed just one party on the ballot. That’s when the government, in an unprecedented move, suspended the Feb. 16 elections.

People across the island have joined in taking to the streets to protest against the government’s decision to suspend the elections.

Tensions are flaring on the island about election tampering and voting after one party has ruled the presidency for 24 years. It is also three months until the general elections and Dominicans don’t trust the process after the latest snafu.

“The electronic vote failed us that morning,” Electoral Board Presiden Julio César Castaños Guzmán, said at a press conference.

Yet, Casatños Guzmán admitted that the Dominican government was warned that they knew of the issue before the elections began but were under the impression that they could be fixed when the machines were installed. The elections proved that the issue was not corrected.

Concerned Dominicans are desperately trying to shine a full light on what they consider an imminent dictatorship.

“The Dominican people are under a dictatorship disguised as democracy,” Alejandro Contreras, a protester in New York told NBC News. “We will be demanding the resignation of all the members of the electoral board, as well as a formal public explanation on the impunity and corruption within the government, among other issues.”

The protests and election fears come the same week as the Dominican Republic’s independence day.

On Feb. 27, 1844, the Dominican Independence War led to the imperial independence of the Dominican Republic from Haiti. The number of casualties from the war are unknown but Haiti is estimated to have lost three times more soldiers than the Dominican Republic.

The fears of a dictatorship are real on the island who was under a dictatorship for 31 years in the 20th century. Rafael Trujillo ruled the island with a brutal fist from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He was president of the island for two terms covering 18 years from 1930 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1952. After the last term, he ruled as an unelected military man keeping the island in fear.

All eyes are on the Dominican Republic and their government as Dominicans across the world fight to preserve its democracy.

Credit: @sixtalee / Twitter

Sigue luchando. El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido. Viva la democracia.

READ: After A Year Of Bad Press, The Dominican Republic Launches Campaign To Bring Tourists Back

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CaribbeanDemocracyDominican RepublicpoliticsProtests