SONIA MANZANO
Humanitarian Award Recipient
Sonia Manzano is a first-generation mainland Puerto Rican, raised in the South Bronx. In the early 1970’s a scholarship took her to Carnegie Mellon University where she participated in the creation of Broadway show hit Godspell. From there she went on to eventually affect the lives of millions of parents and children when she was offered the opportunity to create the role of “Maria” on Sesame Street. For which she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 43rd Annual Daytime Emmys Awards in 2016.
Manzano has also received 15 Emmys for staff writing Sesame Street, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Award, and the Hispanic Heritage Award for Education.
Also an award-winning children’s book author, she’s published No Dogs Allowed, A Box Full of Kittens and Miracle on 133rd Street with Simon and Schuster and The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano and Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx with Scholastic. A World Together, Manzano’s first book for National Geographic was released September 2020.
Scholastic recently announced a new four-book deal with Sonia Manzano. The first novel Coming Up Cuban will publish in spring 2022.
She created an animated series called Alma’s Way, developed by Fred Rogers Productions. It will air on PBS in Oct 2021.
She addresses audiences on education and writing all over the country (both virtually and in person) and continues to help promote the Bronx Children’s Museum
Original Article: https://iprhff.org/2021-honoree-sonia-manzano (link opens in new tab/window)