Cristina Jiménez

Cristina Jiménez is an award-winning community organizer, political strategist, and one of the leading voices in the immigrant justice movement. She is the Co-Founder and former Executive Director of United We Dream (UWD), the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the country. Her and her family immigrated to the U.S from Ecuador in 1998 to Queens, NY, where she grew up undocumented.

Under Cristina’s leadership, United We Dream grew to over one million members and played a critical role in securing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, protecting over 600,000 undocumented young people. Her work has been recognized by TIME Magazine (“TIME 100 Most Influential People”), the MacArthur Foundation (MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship), and many other organizations.

Today, Cristina Jiménez regularly speaks to national and international audiences, uplifting immigrant youth, organizing strategies, and policy advocacy. She currently serves as a Distinguished Lecturer at the City University of New York’s Colin Powell School and co-chair the Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice Institute.

Her memoir, Dreaming of Home, shares her personal journey from undocumented immigrant to movement leader. The book serves as a roadmap for organizing and collective liberation. This message echoes in features and reviews from The Washington Post, People Magazine, and more.