Ramón J. Jiménez, Esq., was a great supporter of Hostos Community College, ever since the doors of the institution were open nearly 50 years ago. Sadly, Professor Jiménez passed away in May of 2016, but his contributions to the College and South Bronx community will never be forgotten.
To honor the incredible legacy of the late Harvard-educated and South Bronx-based attorney, the Ramón J. Jiménez Memorial Scholarship for Social Policy and Practice (RJMSSPP) has been established by the Quintana family, lifelong friends to Jiménez and supporters of Hostos.
The RJMSSPP is reserved for full-time students enrolled in their final college year at Hostos, and the $500 scholarship will be awarded twice annually. The community at large is also encouraged to donate to this fund.
Efrain Quintana said the goal of this scholarship fund is to celebrate Jiménez’s commitment to social justice, while supporting Hostos and its students.
“Ramón was deeply involved in the affairs of the South Bronx Community in general and Hostos Community College in particular. This is where Ramón lived and taught as a teacher and neighbor,” stated Efrain. “The scholarship is his legacy and legitimate testimony to his life’s work."
Evangeline Quintana believes Jiménez was a “champion to the powerless.” She said Jiménez firmly believed that the only way to resist the powers who threatened their rights was to get organized.
“Ramón spearheaded the organization of hundreds of individuals in the community, Hostos students, as well as other supporting student activists from several CUNY colleges in the city, to join in the Hostos Occupation to keep the college alive,” Evangeline said. “Ramón returned to teach at Hostos again and again over the years because he wanted to impart to his students the love of learning throughout one’s entire life, a commitment for justice for all through organizing and resistance, and to recognize the responsibility each student has to become a change agent to his and her community.”
Ramón J. Jiménez’s incredible life was documented in a May 15, 2016, article in
The New York Times. You can read his story
here. Ramon is survived by his daughter, Laila Roman-Jimenez.
Click
here for full details, including criteria and deadlines, for The Ramón Jiménez Memorial Scholarship for Social Policy and Practice (RJMSSPP). For more information about how to support Hostos Community College, click
here.
To learn more about Ramón J. Jiménez, Esq, read his bio here!
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities for nearly half a century. Since 1968, Hostos has been a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs.
Hostos offers 28 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.