"Jammin'" with Alexander Hamilton

     “I’m working on a hip hop album… it’s about the life of somebody who I think embodies hip hop, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.” In 2009, these words rang out from the mouth of a young Puerto Rican American playwright performing at the White House. Six years later, when Alexander Hamilton made its Broadway debut, it would become one of the most successful productions on the live stage. The musical incorporates hip-hop, R&B, and jazz to introduce the life of the youngest Founding Father. Through rap and and pop music, the play follows the ascension of the poor, “bastard orphan,” who after publishing an essay that depicted the carnage of a hurricane in his home town, is invited to New York to further his education. Through a multi-racial cast, the musical highlights the young immigrant’s interaction with some of the most familiar figures in American history—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette—in his rapid rise to power. The entire play is narrated by Vice President Aaron Burr, the man who ultimately kills Hamilton in a duel.

     Yet the production is truly fascinating for the empowering effect it has on readers.  According to biographer Ron Chernow, whose work inspired the development of the musical, Hamilton lived every day from the age of 14 as if the future was uncertain, leading to his incredible work ethic and political ascension. This ambition was also apparent in his political activism; he was responsible for the creation of the first fiscal system, monetary system, customs service, and central bank. Hamilton’s legacy struck an especially powerful note with immigrant Lin-Manuel Miranda, the playwright and title actor of the show. Like Hamilton, Miranda was recognized early in his career, when he performed the first version of “Hamilton Mixtapes” at a White House reception in front of the president and vice-president. There are two lessons that I drew from this unique story.

     First, life is short, so make the most of today while you have the chance. From the moment he stepped onto America’s shores, Hamilton participated actively in national politics, quickly becoming a leader in the Revolutionary War. In high school, Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t think he fit in with the other students at his school and he struggled to compete academically with his classmates. But this struggle only made Miranda more determined to find his passion quickly and focus his efforts in the field that best suited him. After deciding on theater in his high school years, he began to take leading roles in every school performance. Though his family was not wealthy, he purchased as many Broadway albums as he could find and began to memorize them in his free time. All of his efforts converged in college, when far before any of his peers were achieving their dreams, Miranda completed his first musical production, In the Heights, which was turned into a Broadway musical and won the Tony Award in 2008.

     Lin-Manuel Miranda’s merging of modern forms of music with American history has led to a ground-breaking work in which this famous Secretary of the Treasury is seen in the context of American culture and dynamics in the present. This play redirects the eyes of contemporary American audiences to historic figures like Alexander Hamilton. In addition to being on the $10 bill, Hamilton has played a critical role in constructing American society  as we know it today, and we must continue to study and recognize historical figures in order gain a deeper understanding  of the society that surrounds us today. As any viewer of the musical Alexander Hamilton can attest, Miranda’s work has brought new meaning to the age-old idea that “those who do not remember their history, have no future.”

A Way to Unity- Mindframes School Writing Competition

I step onto the edge of the blue mat. With a quick, measured breath, I shout "taekwon!" and stride up to the wooden board holder. The referees, bearing staffs adorned with red and blue flags, stand at the center of the mat, staring stiffly ahead. From above, I can feel a hundred pairs of eyes observing my approach. Watching but not seeing, they chatter with members of their own country, each group speaking in its own tongue.  Hola's and duibuqi's, "Quoi de neuf?" and “Go USA!” ring out over the din, but few people are willing to interact with those of a different nation. People from all over the world pack the stands, but as if to assert and stand by their distinct identities, each group takes care to differentiate their portion of the stadium with national flags, banners, and brightly-colored jerseys from their country.

For a moment, I allow the noise of the crowd to fade into a subdued buzzing in the back of my mind. My breathing slows as I focus on the wooden board in front of me. Every muscle in my body is tense with anticipation as slowly, deliberately, I take a step backwards. For a lightning instant, the pressure of a thousand chanting voices and wailing air horns in the audience pushes against me, and I freeze. But with a sudden burst of adrenaline, I explode toward the target.  “Snap!” the sharp splintering of the board pierces the air, followed by a dizzying roar as onlookers rise, cheering in appreciation. In that instant, I see and hear not individual countries in the crowd, but a single community, standing and clapping together, united in the exhilaration of the moment. The discordant clashes of conversations in various foreign languages melt away, replaced by the unanimous tongue of the world community. As I gaze over the crowd, for a second, I am a part of this united nations, in which no language or cultural barriers can dent our shared heritage.

By the time I return dazedly to my coaches, individual conversations have re-started, and the arena is again filled with the noise of hundreds of clashing languages, as each person cheers for athletes from his own country. Yet small signs of our moment of unity remain. As I pass through the crowd, one or two of the waiting groups of athletes meet my gaze, and they smile and nod encouragingly. When I look up at the spectator bleachers, a young boy from New Zealand cheerily waves his flag at me. Towards the end of the evening, one of the Irish competitors in my division comes up to me and hands me a miniature golden pin with a carving of the Irish and American flags crossed and waving together. Receiving the small token, I am overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude for the opportunity that this event has offered me.  For the time being, however, this marks the end of the 2013 Taekwondo World Championships in Spain.

Two years have passed, and the details of this week have already begun to fade from my memory. But I know I will never forget the sensation of that uplifting moment when the board shattered, and every heart in the arena momentarily beat as one. As I write this, I glance at the two miniature flags still sitting on my desk and feel a deep thrill. If I close my eyes and listen hard enough, I can still hear the echoing cheers in the tournament arena, shouting in a language understood by people from all over the world. In the truest sense of the word, the breaking of a single wooden board became, for me, a way to unity.