Author Francisco Jiménez
speaks in Redlands about ‘The Migrant Experience’
Redlands Daily Facts: 9.17.2017 by Diane Shimota, Adult
Literacy Coordinator-A.K. Smiley Library
The Redlands City Council proclaimed
Sept. 7 as Adult Literacy Day in the city of Redlands. The proclamation
included the finding that adults in Redlands seek to improve their literacy
skills with the Redlands Adult
Literacy Program so that they may get a job or advance in
their employment, help their children in school and work toward their own
higher education.
The council also commended the
efforts of volunteers and community partners whose support is vital to the
program.
To celebrate Adult Literacy Day, the
community gathered at the Contemporary Club Sept. 7 to hear Francisco Jiménez,
author of “The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child” and its three
sequels, “Breaking Through,” “Reaching Out” and “Taking Hold: From Migrant
Childhood to Columbia University.” The common theme in these four books is the
transformative power of education.
Each book represents a different
stage of Jiménez’s education and describes the struggles Jiménez faced and
conquered.
Before Jiménez’s talk on “The
Migrant Experience: A Personal Story,” many participants in the Redlands Adult
Literacy Program enjoyed a special opportunity to greet him at the Lincoln
Memorial Shrine and share a bit of their personal histories with him. Some said
that his story is similar to the history of their own families, and others
connected with his passion for learning and his struggles to become educated.
Ana Alcantar, a learner in the
program, said about meeting Francisco Jiménez, “It was a magical moment that I
will treasure forever.” READ MORE @
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