The Politics of Community feat. Liz Miranda

In This Episode . . . 

We are featuring the wonderfully regal Liz Miranda, State Representative 5th Suffolk District, MA House of Representatives. In it, Miranda shares her journey about being an immigrant in the United States, how the killing of her brother shaped her career, and the importance of being an effective political leader in underrepresented communities. 

Meet Liz Miranda:

Liz is best known for leading the police reform bill in Massachusetts to passage and her Social Moniker is Betti! 

Since elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2020, Elizabeth "Liz" Miranda has served as State Representative for the 5th Suffolk District of Roxbury and Dorchester. 

Representative Miranda currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Human Resources and Employee Engagement, and serves on the Joint Committee(s) on Community Development and Small Businesses, Public Safety and Homeland Security, and Veterans and Federal Affairs. 

In her first term, Representative Miranda has filed and passed legislation to reimagine public safety, improve racial disparities in maternal health, promote environmental justice within disproportionately impacted communities, and ensure a just recovery for micro-to-small businesses most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was the first legislator in the Commonwealth to establish a district-led community care program which connected 3,000 vulnerable residents with support and resources.

As a result of Rep. Miranda’s Covid Vaccine Equity Bill, Governor Baker implemented nearly all of the core tenants of the legislation- reimagining health to include socioeconomic determinants.

As the daughter of Cabo Verdean immigrants, Representative Miranda has been a tireless advocate for immigrant rights, while leading the fight for an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to serving in the Massachusetts Legislature, Representative Miranda was a non-profit executive, entrepreneur, and community organizer, which began as a teen living in the Dudley triangle. 

In 2017, Representative Miranda lost her 28-year-old brother, Michael Miranda, to gun violence. After her decades long advocacy for gun violence prevention, losing her brother was a catalyst in her entrance to electoral politics. Her lived experience and commitment to community propels her fight for immigrant rights, criminal legal system reform, improved black maternal health outcomes, and economic justice.

Her professional roles have included serving as the Executive Director for the Hawthorne Youth and Community Center and Director of Youth Opportunity Development at Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI). Rep. Miranda’s career has aimed to build resident-led leadership and advocacy for youth development, violence prevention, and economic justice. 

Representative Miranda is a Wellesley College alumna and proud graduate of Boston Public Schools, graduating from the John D O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Boston Alumnae Chapter, and the Wellesley Club of Boston.

Episode Highlights:

• (10:04) Demand more and demand better; 
• (12:03) Leadership is both a privilege and a responsibility; 
• (17:59) Being a little too much in leadership;

Connect with Liz:

Email: liz@lizmiranda.com

Website: https://lizmiranda.com

Instagram: @replizmiranda

Episode Resources:

• For more Management Mastery head over to ManageMint (https://managemint.co)
• Get our free eBook "Super Leaders Need Love,