Rev. Allan Ramirez

Rev. Allan Ramirez is an undeniable Power Lister. He has been the hero of many and the villain for others. As a voice for the Latino community he has waged publicity wars with many people on this Power List regarding immigrants’ rights. Born to a poor family in Ecuador, Rev. Ramirez has always maintained that he knows what it is like to struggle and fight—to claw for survival every day. He has come a long way since those days. As a young teen his family moved to New Jersey and he began his relationship with God after a classmate invited him to church one Sunday. The single visit soon became a regular routine. Rev. Ramirez was raised a Roman Catholic, and attended college in Iowa to study theology and Christianity. After looking for a job as a pastor, he landed one at the Brookville Reformed Church, and has been there for 27 years. A complex man, Ramirez is a Hispanic pastor, who grew up poor, but who now delivers sermons to a mostly white congregation in an upscale North Shore community. But he still spends time on the streets listening to the concerns of day laborers. Love him or hate him, don’t expect this bulldog to loosen his grip on one of LI’s most controversial issues.

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2009