Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas lands second book deal, for ‘White Is Not a Country’

Pulitzer winner talks immigration

Pulitzer-winning author Jose Antonio Vargas to visit Ann Arbor for Washtenaw Reads

Undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas gets school named after him

Jose Antonio Vargas, journalist and ‘undocumented citizen,’ lands book deal

WE ARE AMERICANS, REVISITED

A Q&A With Jose Antonio Vargas on His Film Festival, ‘An Act of Cultural Intervention

Jose Antonio Vargas to attend Trump’s speech

Undocumented Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas Is In The Capitol To Watch Trump’s Address

Jose Antonio Vargas talks citizenship for undocumented immigrants in a Trump world

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Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and theatrical producer. A leading voice for the human rights of immigrants, he founded the non-profit media and culture organization <a href="https://defineamerican.com/">Define American</a>, named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. His best-selling memoir, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062851352/dear-america">Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen</a>, was published by HarperCollins in 2018. Most recently, he co-produced Heidi Schreck’s acclaimed play What the Constitution Means to Me, which opened on Broadway in spring 2019. Most recently, Jose Antonio Vargas became the first known undocumented lead producer on Broadway. July 2023, premiered Here Lies Love, a Broadway show highlighting the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, while being the first show to have a fully Pilipino cast. The production transforms the theatre into a nightclub where the audience is literally immersed in the story, witnessing history up close.

In 2011, the New York Times Magazine published <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/magazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigrant.html">a groundbreaking essay</a> he wrote in which he revealed and chronicled his life in America as an undocumented immigrant. A year later, he appeared on the cover of TIME magazine worldwide with fellow undocumented immigrants in <a href="http://time.com/2987974/jose-vargas-detained-time-cover-story/">a follow-up cover story</a>. He then produced and directed <a href="http://documentedthefilm.com/">Documented</a>, a documentary feature film on his undocumented experience. Broadcasted on CNN and streamed on Netflix, the film received a 2015 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Documentary. Also in 2015, MTV aired <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/07/white-people-mtv-jose-antonio-vargas-backlash-lessons-privilege/399302/">White People</a>, an Emmy-nominated television special he produced and directed on what it means to be young and white in a demographically changing America.
Among accolades he has received are the Freedom to Write Award from PEN Center USA and honorary degrees from Colby College and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Passionate about the role of arts in society and promoting equity in education, he serves on the advisory board of TheDream.US, a scholarship fund for undocumented immigrant students.

A product of the San Francisco Bay Area, he is a proud graduate of San Francisco State University (’04), where he was named Alumnus of the Year in 2012, and Mountain View High School (’00). An elementary school named after Vargas will open in his hometown of Mountain View, California in fall 2019.

Jose Antonio Vargas

Here Lies Love

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Documented

What the Constitution Means to Me

dear-america

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

Keynote Speaker Profile & Booking Details for Jose Antonio Vargas. Contact UTA Speakers to book top rated talent for live, hybrid, and virtual events.

Jose Antonio Vargas | Booking & Contact Info | UTA Speakers

Jose Antonio Vargas takes audiences deeper into his story, sharing details of his journey to America from the Philippines as a child; his journey through America as an immigration reform activist; and his journey inward as he re-connects with his mother, whom he hadn't seen in person in over 20 years. With anecdotes from both his own story and the struggles of countless other undocumented immigrants in America, Vargas poignantly explores one of the most divisive questions facing our country today: how do you define “American”?

Perhaps never before has the world been so in need of the inveterate truth-seekers who devote their lives to reporting on our world and those who lead it. At a time when the future seems ever uncertain, these journalists take their perspectives and analysis from the front lines of today’s biggest stories to audiences around the world, bringing us all into the conversation.

Award-Winning Journalism

These days, the world moves a mile-a-minute. Culture, Politics, Technology—constantly evolving, coinciding and diverging in ways both welcome and unexpected to chart the course of the 21st century. Our speakers stand at the vanguard of these movements, ready to guide audiences worldwide through the heat of the moment into the world of tomorrow.