Cristina Jiménez Moreta
{{Short description|Ecuadoran activist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cristina Jiménez Moreta
| image = Cristina Jiménez Moreta in "National Run for Office Day 2018" video (1).png
| alt =
| caption = Jiménez Moreta in 2018
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1984}}
| birth_place = Ecuador
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation = immigration activist
| years_active =
| known_for =
| awards = MacArthur Fellow (2017)
Freedom From Fear Award (2017)
}}
Cristina Jiménez Moreta (born 1983 or 1984) is an Ecuadoran immigration activist who co-founded United We Dream in 2008. In 2017, Jiménez Moreta was named a MacArthur Fellow and won the Freedom From Fear Award.
Jiménez was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018.{{Cite magazine|title=Cristina Jiménez: The World's 100 Most Influential People|url=https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5238162/cristina-jimenez/|access-date=2020-09-23|magazine=Time|language=en-us}}
Early life and education
Jiménez Moreta was born in Ecuador. At the time of her birth, Jiménez Moreta's mother was a seamstress and her father was a bank security guard.{{cite magazine |last=Fadulu |first=Lolade |date=4 April 2018 |title='I Knew I Couldn't Work Because of My Status' |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/04/i-knew-i-couldnt-work-because-of-my-status/557057/ |magazine=The Atlantic |access-date=5 August 2018}} When she was a teenager, she and her family moved to the United States as undocumented immigrants. Jiménez Moreta completed a Bachelor of Arts at Queens College in 2007 and a Master of Public Administration at Baruch College in 2011.{{cite web |title=Cristina Jiménez Moreta |url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows/989/ |website=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=5 August 2018}}
Career
When Jiménez Moreta illegally immigrated to the United States, she became a babysitter and an assistant. After experiencing educational barriers as an undocumented immigrant, she dedicated herself to public service and advancing civil rights, focused primarily on youth activism. Early on in her advocacy career, Jiménez Moreta created multiple activism groups in New York, including Make the Road New York.{{cite news |last1=Guadalupe |first1=Patricia |title=Immigrant advocate Cristina Jiménez Hopes Genius Award Inspires Others to Take Stand |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/immigrant-advocate-cristina-jim-nez-hopes-genius-award-inspires-others-n810031 |access-date=5 August 2018 |work=NBC News |date=12 October 2017}}
In 2008, she joined Drum Major Institute to work in immigration policy and remained with the institute until 2010. At the same time she started working with Drum Major, Jiménez Moreta became a co-founder of United We Dream, which is an organization that advocates for undocumented Americans. With United We Dream, Jiménez Moreta influenced the enactment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in 2012.{{cite news |last1=Yu Hsi Lee |first1=Esther |title=Meet Cristina, a former undocumented immigrant who just received a MacArthur 'genius' award |url=https://thinkprogress.org/cristina-jimenez-moreta-6c06c7f46520/ |access-date=5 August 2018 |work=ThinkProgress |date=11 October 2017}}
Awards and honors
In 2017, Jiménez Moreta was one of the recipients of the MacArthur Fellows Program.{{cite news |last1=Garnham |first1=Juan Pablo |title=Cristina Jiménez Moreta: from undocumented immigrant to winner of 'genius' award |url=https://www.univision.com/univision-news/united-states/cristina-jimenez-moreta-from-undocumented-immigrant-to-winner-of-genius-award |access-date=5 August 2018 |work=Univision |date=13 October 2017}} The same year, she was awarded the Freedom From Fear Award.{{cite web |title=Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards |url=https://rooseveltinstitute.org/event/franklin-d-roosevelt-four-freedoms-awards/ |website=Roosevelt Institute |access-date=January 25, 2023}} In 2019, she won the Robert Coles "Call of Service" Award, given by the Phillips Brooks House Association at Harvard University.{{cite web |title=Cristina Jiménez Calls for Community Activism in 2019 Robert Coles Lecture |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/11/4/jiminez-coles-award/ |publisher=The Harvard Crimson |access-date=10 November 2022}} In 2020, Moreta was named as one of USA Today's Women of the Century, which recognizes women who have made a "substantial impact on our country or our lives over the past 100 years".{{cite web |title=Cristina Jiménez Moreta helped get DACA, now she helps young immigrants find their voice |url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/women-of-the-century/2020/08/20/cristina-jimenez-moreta-advocates-daca-undocumented-youth-human-rights/5535786002/ |website=USA Today |last=Carroll |first=Nicole |date=20 August 2020 |access-date=8 December 2022}}
References
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Category:Ecuadorian women activists
Category:Immigrant rights activists