Jonathan Freedman (born April 11, 1950) is an American journalist, writer, and social activist who won the 1987

Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Journalism. It has been awarded since 1917 for distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style ...

Biography

Freedman was born in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Ac ...

, where his father finished his residency at Mayo Clinic. The family relocated to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, and Freedman graduated from George Washington High School in 1968. He went on to study at

Columbia College Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America: Canada * Columbia College (Alberta), in Calgary * Columbia College (British Columbia), a two-year liberal arts institution in Vancouver * Columbia In ...

and received his A.B. in literature in 1972 and earned a fellowship that allowed him to travel through Central and South America. He began his journalism career as a reporter for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

in Sao Paolo and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

during 1974–75. He then became a freelance writer and lived in Washington, D.C., Spain, Portugal, and San Francisco until he was hired by ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' an ...

'' in 1981. During his tenure at the newspaper, he was a finalist for the

in 1983 and 1984, and won the award in 1987 for writing about immigration across the

Mexico–United States border The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border trav ...

. His series of editorials, which lasted for six years, was instrumental in the passing of the

Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA or the Simpson–Mazzoli Act) was passed by the 99th United States Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986. The Immigration Reform and Control Act altered U.S ...

, the first major immigration reform act in 34 years, which granted legalization to over two million people.

Published works

* ''From Cradle to Grave: The Human Face of Poverty in America'', Atheneum, 1993 * ''The Last Brazil of Benjamin East: A Novel'', Bright Light Press, 2015 * ''Solito, Solita: Crossing Borders with Youth Refugees from Central America'', Haymarket Books, 2019 * ''Wall of Fame: One Teacher, One Class, and the Power to Save Schools and Transform Lives'', AVID Center, 2020

Personal life

Freedman is married to Isabel Rooney, who is a medical director at

Genentech Genentech, Inc., is an American biotechnology corporation headquartered in South San Francisco, California. It became an independent subsidiary of Roche in 2009. Genentech Research and Early Development operates as an independent center within ...

. He has four children and three grandchildren from his two marriages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedman, Jonathan American male journalists Columbia College (New York) alumni Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing winners People from Rochester, Minnesota Associated Press reporters 1950 births Living people