Francisco Jiménez
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Jiménez in 2018
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| Born | June 29, 1943 |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Occupation(s) | Writer and academic |
Francisco Jiménez (born June 29, 1943 in Tlaquepaque, Mexico)[1] is a Mexican-American writer and professor at Santa Clara UniversityinSanta Clara, California.[2]
Francisco Jiménez was born in 1943 in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, as the second oldest of eight children.[3][4][5][6] Up until he was four years old, he lived in a town in the state of Jalisco, Mexico called El Rancho Blanco.[7] His family then immigrated to California to work as migrant farm workers.[3][7] When he was six years old, he already started working in the fields with his family.[7] Growing up, his family would move frequently, following seasonal crops, causing him to miss months of school every year.[7][8]
When Jiménez was in eighth grade, his family was deported back to Mexico.[7][5] A several months later, they returned legally and settled down in a migrant labor camp in Santa Maria, California called Bonetti Ranch. His father could not work anymore because of severe back problems, so they would no longer move from place to place. Throughout high school, Jiménez and his older brother, Roberto, worked as janitors 35 hours a week each to support their family.[7][8]
After high school, Jiménez received several scholarships and went on to attend Santa Clara University, getting his B.A. in Spanish Studies in 1966.[5][4] He became a US Citizen during his junior year at Santa Clara.[9] Then, he was awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to attend Columbia University where he received a Master's and Ph.D. in Latin American Literature.[5][10][11]
At Santa Clara University, Jiménez met his to-be wife, Laura Facchini, and they got married while he was attending Columbia University. They have three children: Francisco Andrés, Miguel Antonio, and Tomás.[12] Tomás Jiménez is (in 2019) full professor in sociology at Stanford University.[13] Francisco Andrés is an accomplished artist and senior lecturer at Santa Clara University.
Jiménez started his career as a professor teaching at Columbia University.[9] He later accepted a position teaching in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature at Santa Clara University, where he worked full-time until 2015.[9][8][11] He has received numerous awards for his teaching, including the Dia del Maestro Teacher of the Year Award from Santa Clara County, the David Logathetti Award for Teaching in Excellence from Santa Clara University, and the US Professor of the Year from CASE and the Carnegie Foundation.[9]
Jiménez has held several administrative positions at Santa Clara University, including, Director of the Division of Arts and Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences (1981-1990); Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (1990-1994); Chair, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (1997-2000) Director, Ethnic Studies (2001-2005) [9]
He is the Co-founder of The Bilingual Review, a scholarly journal dedicated to the study of the linguistics and literature of English Spanish bilingualism in the United States.[9]
He has served on various professional boards and commissions, including the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (10 years, two as chair), California Council for the Humanities (5 years, one as vice chair), Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC, 6 years), Santa Clara University Board of Trustees (6 years), the Far West Lab for Educational Research and Development (5 years), ALearn, and the Leadership Board of the College of Arts and Sciences at SCU.[9]
In 1997, Jiménez published his first autobiographical short novel, The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child (Cajas de Carton, Spanish edition).[9][14] This book documents his early life, from crossing the border as a child to attending elementary school and working in the fields.[14] There are three sequels to this book, which continue documenting his life through its next few stages. Breaking Through (Senderos Fronterizos, Spanish edition) is about his time in high school, Reaching Out (Más Allá de Mí, Spanish edition) is about his time attending Santa Clara University, and Taking Hold: From Migrant Childhood to Columbia University (Pasos firmes: Desde niñez migrante a la Universidad de Columbia, Spanish edition) documents his years in graduate school.[15][8]
His four-book series—The Circuit, Breaking Through, Reaching Out, Taking Hold—has been included in the American Library Association Booklist's 50 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.
A short independent dramatic film titled "The Unbroken Sky", adapted from portions of his award-winning book Breaking Through, was completed in 2023. The Unbroken Sky premiered at the San Francisco Short Film Festival at the Roxie Theater on October 12. It won first prize. The film was also a semifinalist in the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Here is the link to the trailer for the film posted on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXmEmqt5h_s
Breaking Through and The Circuit have been adapted as plays and performed by the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts at Hancock College and at schools throughout the Central Coast of California. Santa Clara University Presents, Arts for Social Justice, performed both plays on campus and at numerous schools in the Silicon Valley. The Circuit was also performed at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Teatro Vision performed the plays La Mariposa and Breaking Through in San José, California.
Jiménez has also written some autobiographical picture books, including La Mariposa (1998) and The Christmas Gift/El regalo de Navidad (2000). In La Mariposa, Jiménez writes about the challenges of not speaking English during his year in first grade.[10][14]
Some awards he has received for his writing include: the John Steinbeck Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the California Library Association’s Annual John and Patricia Beatty Award, the Américas Book Award, the Pura Belpré Honor Book Award, the Parents' Choice Award,[15][10] the Jane Addams Honor Book Award, the Tomás Rivera Book Award, Reading the World Award, the Carter C. Woodson National Book Award and UCSB’s Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature.
His books have been published in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Persian and Spanish. In addition, he has published and edited several books on Mexican and Mexican American literature, and his stories have been reprinted in over 100 textbooks and anthologies of literature. A graphic novel version of The Circuit was published by HarperCollins in 2024.
In 2015 a new school in Santa Maria, California was named in honor of his late brother and him: The Roberto and Dr. Francisco Jiménez Elementary School. He has been featured in Univision's “Aquí y Ahora" and Telemundo, and has received commendations for his work from the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, the California State Senate, and the governor of the State of Jalisco, Mexico. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Clara University.
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