Tomás Rivera

American author, educator, and activist

• Born: December 22, 1935
• Birthplace: Crystal City, Texas
• Died: May 16, 1984
• Place of death: Fontana, California

Rivera was a talented writer of poetry, novels, and short stories, as well as an accomplished professor and university administrator. His accomplishments have made him a role model in the Chicano community.

Early Life

Tomás Rivera (toh-MAHS rih-VEHR-ah) was born to Florencio and Josepha Rivera on December 22, 1935. As a child and through his teen years, Rivera worked with his family as a migrant farm laborer. His family traveled throughout the Midwest, including Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. During the years he worked as a field laborer, Rivera, with the support of his grandfather, decided to become a writer of essays and fiction.

Rivera graduated from Crystal City High School in 1954, and two years later he enrolled at Southwest TexasJunior College. While at college, he encountered some of the discrimination and injustice he would continually face as a lower-class Chicano. One of the difficulties he experienced was trying to get his work published. Rivera’s work was primarily written in Spanish, which widely restricted its audience. However, Rivera used this setback as a motivation to continue writing and to obtain an education.

Rivera graduated from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in 1958 with a B.A. in English, while also minoring in Spanish, history, and education. After graduating, he taught English and Spanish at local secondary schools until 1965. While teaching, Rivera also earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Southwest Texas State University in 1964. Still believing that an education was the only way for a Chicano to escape from migrant work, Rivera enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, from which he graduated with an M.A. in Spanish literature, as well as a Ph.D. in Romance languages and literature in 1969.

Immediately upon receiving his Ph.D., Rivera was hired at Sam Houston State University as an associate professor, a position he held until 1971. Over the next seven years, he held multiple academic positions, including some in administration, before becoming the executive vice president at the University of Texas at El Paso in 1978.

Life’s Work

On November 27, 1958, Rivera married Concepción Garza, with whom he later had three children: Ileana, Irasema, and Javier. During the years of his flourishing career in education, Rivera managed to have an equally influential literary career. His drive to further his education and share his writings with the world can be attributed to his experiences as a migrant laborer—a part of his life he never forgot. Rivera used his memories of this time and wrote them into his works. It is said that Rivera’s writings are the place in which he left much of what was the best of him.

In the world of literature, Rivera is remembered as a poet and short-story writer. One of his most accomplished works is his novel . . . . y no se lo tragó la tierra ( . . . And the Earth Did Not Part), published in 1971. Rivera received the Quinto Sol Award for this book in 1971, an award created by a publishing company whose primary focus was to publish Chicano literature. With . . . y no se lo tragó la tierra, Rivera expressed his belief that one of the most important characteristics of Chicano literature is its ability to capture and remember the past.

In all, Rivera wrote more than eighty-five thousand works, including papers, essays, poems, and short fiction. Many of these works share a capacity for remembrance. Rivera’s works are said to speak for themselves most of the time, with the exception of a few scenes and sections in which he seems to be directly commenting on his feelings and passions regarding the topic at hand. His works, employing dramatic language, multiple voices, and varying registers of emotions, convey the language and experience of the Chicano community.

In addition to his success in the academic and literary worlds, Rivera was also an activist in the many communities in which he lived. His activism was spurred by his belief that young people are the future of the nation. Over the years, Rivera served on numerous boards, committees, and councils, such as the American Association for Higher Education, the American Council on Education, and the National Commission on Secondary Schooling for Hispanics. His efforts on behalf of these organizations were influenced by his multiple trips to and from Mexico.

Rivera received numerous honors, including an award from the Chicano News Media Association recognizing his achievements within the Chicano community. He also obtained an award from the Riverside, California, chapter of the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) in recognition of his leadership as chancellor of the University of California at Riverside, a position he held from 1979 until his death on May 16, 1984.

Significance

Rivera’s legacy continued long after his death. Many communities and universities have dedicated buildings and awards in his honor. For example, the library and plaza at the University of California at Riverside, are named for him, as is a local elementary school; the tutoring center at the University of Texas at San Antonio is also named in his honor. The College of Education at Texas State University at San Marcos established the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the Mexican American experience. Rivera’s award-winning novel . . . y no se lo tragó la tierra was the inspiration for Severo Peréz’s 1995 film . . . And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him.

After his death, Rivera’s wife, Concepción Rivera, donated all of Rivera’s papers and works to the Tomás Rivera Library at the University of California at Riverside. The success Rivera achieved in the academic world was indicative of his hard, selfless work and serves as a model to young Chicanos that an education and hard work can provide them with social mobility.

Bibliography

Lattin, Vernon E., Rolando Hinojosa, and Gary D. Keller, eds. Tomás Rivera: The Man and His Work. Tempe, Ariz.: Bilingual Review/Press, 1988. Compilation of some of Rivera’s works, as well as photographs of him and other materials.

Olivares, Julián, ed. International Studies in Honor ofTomás Rivera. Houston: Arte Público Press, 1986. A collection of essays regarding Rivera’s life and works. Includes brief biographical information and discussions of his life and writings.

Rivera, Tomás. Tomás Rivera: The Complete Works. Edited by Julián Olivares. Houston: Arte Público Press, 2008. Compilation of Rivera’s works, as well as images from his original manuscripts and a lengthy introduction discussing the significance and meaning of his writings.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. . . . y no se lo tragó la tierra. Berkeley, Calif.: Quinto Sol, 1971. An English- and Spanish-language edition of Rivera’s novel. Includes a biography of Rivera and an introduction discussing his significance.