“I Got Stories to Tell!”

In SINTOWN SAINTS author Jacques Bordeaux recounts stories of his family’s journey from the South Side of Chicago to the suburbs of the Golden State. Along the way, Jim Crow, assassinations, the Viet Nam War, the draft, political movements and reactions to those movements converged to shape his family in ways that had long-lasting effects. Long before Black folks moved in, ‘Sintown’ was the name given to the suburban Pomona, California neighborhood of Jacques’ formative years. White flight, red-lining and African American aspirations later produced the surviving, striving, thriving community that was Sintown. The Bordeaux’s were one of the first Black families to move into the neighborhood in 1964. When he left in 1971, it was almost entirely Black. Jacques is the youngest of four boys with Sammy, Jude and Visey, born to Clovis and Bernice Bordeaux. His was an upwardly mobile family on the cusp of the Civil Rights movement and other seismic cultural shifts in America. As post-war Black Boomers, the Bordeaux brothers were beneficiaries of the struggles and sacrifices of generations of Black Americans. They did chores and spoke the King’s English. College degrees were expected in this family. Whatever advantages “Clo” and “Neecy” - the Original Sintown Saints - could provide, their sons would receive. No extravagance, just a leg up. SINTOWN SAINTS is a collection of stories about family, mischief and adventures, the formation of lifetime friendships, and the value of patrons and advocates. This book is a tribute to Saints who helped to mold Jacques’ life.

Jacques Bordeaux is a retired urban STEM educator and leader with a lifelong commitment to advancing science learning in underserved schools and communities. He began recording SINTOWN SAINTS stories as a “poor man’s therapy” during his father’s transition. His first drafts were tapped out on his cell phone while sitting by his bedside. Jacques and his wife Valerie have been married 43 years, and have three adult children and two grandchildren.