Miriam Colón (1936-2017) is a revered Puerto Rican/Latina icon. She debuted as an actress playing opposite to Ramón ‘Diplo’ Rivero in the now classic film Peloteros, produced by the Puerto Rico Division of Community Education/DIVEDCO in 1953. She moved to New York City that same year, and was accepted into the Actors Studio by Elia Kazan after a single audition; she was the Studio’s first Puerto Rican member. Her career spanned dozens of film and television roles and hundreds of theater productions. Her heart was always with the community and on the stage. In 1967 she co-founded the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, serving as its Artistic Director until merger with Pregones Theater in 2014. Ms. Colón earned many awards and distinctions including eight Honoris Causa Doctor degrees, the international Lorca Award, the Obie Award for Sustained Performance, a Lifetime Recognition Award from the Office of the President of the United States, the NALAC Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Medal of Arts.