Benefit Host

Caridad de la Luz

Caridad De La Luz is a Bronx-born performer known as LA BRUJA who recently performed in the successful Off-Broadway musical I LIKE IT LIKE THAT as China Rodriguez.  She is considered one of America's leading spoken word poets and was named one of the Top 20 Puerto Rican Women Everyone Should Know. Caridad was also awarded the Puerto Rican Women Legacy Award, The Edgar Allan Poe Award for excellence in writing from The Bronx Historical Society and has been titled a Bronx Living Legend along with a Citation of Merit by the Bronx Borough President.  She was has performed in venues such as The Apollo, Lincoln Center and in venues internationally over her 21-year trajectory since her debut performance in the famed Nuyorican Poets Café in 1996.  N.Y. Times called her "a Juggernaut" after the run of her musical Boogie Rican Blvd., and was awarded Best Musical to Pregones and their 2015 production of Betsy where she played the title role.  Her acting career has taken her from the stage to film: appearing in numerous movies including Bamboozled, Down to the Bone, El Vacilon and Gun Hill Road.  She crossed over as a recording artist with her Latin Hip Hop albums "Brujalicious" and “For Witch It Stands” which are both on Spotify and iTunes.  Her poetry is featured on Prince Royce’s award-winning album "Phase II" and she became most known for her captivating performance on Russell Simmons' HBO Def Poetry Jam.  As a teaching artist, Caridad has worked throughout the country facilitating poetry and performance workshops for countless aspiring writers of all ages. Caridad became a chartering member of the Delta Chapter in Binghamton University of the Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in 1992.