Q&A with Angela Quezada Padron

  

Photo by Alberto Padron

 

 

Angela Quezada Padron is the author of the new children's picture book biography From the Fields to the Fight: How Jessica Govea Thorbourne Organized for Justice. Her other books include As the Seas Rise.  

 

Q: What inspired you to write a children’s picture book biography of activist Jessica Govea Thorbourne (1947-2005)? 

 

A: I had attended a nonfiction conference through SCBWI in the fall of 2020, and several speakers mentioned the lack of Latina figures in biographies. I had always loved reading nonfiction and learning new facts, so I did some research to look for interesting figures to write about.

 

The first idea was for a book called As the Seas Rise: Nicole Hernandez Hammer and the Fight for Climate Justice, which released in 2024 with Atheneum. Nicole has been an advocate for climate justice in diverse communities.

 

At the same time, I had come across Jessica's name and when I dove deep into research about her, I was incredibly inspired about her efforts to fight for labor workers.

 

I felt compelled by Jessica's story and felt hers was an important message to get across to kids, that you can be one person--young or old--and still make a difference so long as you follow your passion and stand up for what you believe in.  

 

Q: What do you think Sol Salinas’s illustrations add to the book? 

A: I absolutely love the way Sol brought Jessica's story to life. They helped to portray such a tough, mature topic down to the level of readers. Their colorful and mural-like compositions combine elements to tell a story within the story in a creative manner.

 

What I love most is the fact they incorporated the seed throughout the pages as if that's the thread weaving throughout the images, focusing on the idea that something so small can make a huge difference, just like Jessica did starting at a young age. I was so happy to have partnered with Sol on this book.  

 

Q: How did you research Jessica Govea Thorbourne’s life, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

A: Since I was young, I have always loved to do research reports about different topics. You can learn so many new things by doing so -- I am not afraid to say I am a self-proclaimed nerd!

 

After I read about Jessica in a book called We Were There Too: Young People in U.S. History, I did some online searching in the pursuit of finding as much information as possible and ensuring my book would be as accurate as possible.

 

I found Mary J. Wallace, the audiovisual archivist at Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Michigan, who had photos, primary resources, and articles about Jessica. That information was essential to my research, including audio recordings of Jessica being interviewed about her work.

 

I also discovered Dr. Mireya Loza, professor at Georgetown University, who is an expert in the history of labor justice and narrated a video for the Smithsonian about Jessica. Dr. Loza also reviewed my manuscript and gave feedback. In addition, Dr. Loza connected me with Jessica's nephew.

 

I learned that Jessica was great at debating while in school. I loved that Jessica also loved to sing and cite poetry, which she sometimes did at rallies. I’ve seen some videos of her singing, and her voice was angelic.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it a “rich and much-needed portrait of a brilliant activist.” What do you think of that assessment? 

A: I think that is the perfect description of Jessica. Not only did Jessica realize her calling from a young age, but she had firsthand experience with what the workers were going through.

 

She was a child field worker who picked crops alongside her parents. She was also exposed to the hardships and poor working conditions, including pesticides, little pay and long hours, and few bathroom breaks.

 

From the time she was a child, she was inspired to begin learning to organize from her father’s participation in the Community Service Organization.

 

Jessica continued to advocate as she grew up, like when her best friend was tragically killed after walking home from a park and Jessica petitioned her community to build a park closer to their homes.

 

She continued on through her teenage years to help at local campaign offices and decided to leave college to work for the union. And when she eventually left the union, she continued to fight by teaching others to organize.

 

She devoted her entire life to fighting for others, so I hope as people learn more about her they will recognize her brilliance and appreciate the effect her actions have had on social justice. Nothing would please me more than to learn that kids who read about Jessica become inspired to stand up and advocate for a cause that they believe in too.  

 

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I have many story ideas to work on, but the ones I'm mainly focused on now are a 1) humorous picture book featuring a child who loves to sew, which is inspired by my love of sewing that I've had since I was little; 2) a chapter book featuring dog characters because I love dogs so much, and 3) outlining the ideas for two other middle grade novels, one sci-fi involving basketball and the other magical realism inspired by The Wizard of Oz, which is one of my top three movies of all time (along with Grease and Forrest Gump). 

 

Q: Anything else we should know? 

A: In 2025, I launched my own independent children's book company called Dream Jar Publishing, focusing on books that include characters and topics incorporating big dreams and goals, both personally, locally and globally. We're starting small with just three or four books per year but we hope they’ll have a big impact.

 

I plan to publish fiction and nonfiction board books, picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels, with the first books launching in 2027. I'm excited about the books we're producing, and I can't wait to tell the world more about them soon. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Angela Quezada Padron.