Posted on by sanjotown

A Tribute to Tom Iamesi

Beginnings of mural

Roan Victor painting mural

Mural nearly finished

Mural finished

Roan Victor, a fine art painter, muralist, and youth arts educator based in San Jose Japan-town, painted a mural to honor Tom Iamesi an affordable housing professional and mentor in the San Francisco Bay Area who passed away in 2020. Iamesi Village was named after Tom Iamesi and is a new low income housing by First Community Housing in San Jose located at 201 Bassett Street and Terraine Street near downtown San Jose. Painting of mural was assisted by Sean Boyles and Marc Wallace who are also San Jose Japan-town artists. This mural was organized and sponsored by Empire Seven Studios in San Jose Japantown.

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Posted on by sanjotown · 1 Comment

Save Juristac

 

 

 

Valentin Lopez, Chair, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band at rally for Juristac at County Government Building in San Jose on Saturday September 10th 2022

 

 The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is in a battle to protect sacred Juristic site from the proposed Sargent Ranch Quarry. Juristic (“Place of the Big Head in Mutsun language) is the center of ancestral homeland near Gilroy, CA. Historically the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band are survivors of the destructive power and authority of Mission San Juan Bautista and Mission Santa Cruz. And the proposed mining development of the Juristac is the modern day continuation of these inhumane and unjust policies.

A San Diego-based investment group applied for the permit from Santa Clara County to establish 403 acre sand and gravel mining operation. Three open-pit quarry sites 250 deep and 62 acre processing plant and 1.6 mile conveyor belt are proposed for the site. A 60 day public comment period ends on September 26th, 2022 with over 20,000 people signing the Amah Mutsun petitions and numerous officials and community leaders supporting Juristac.

According to the Santa Clara County Draft Environmental Impact Report there will be multiple significant and unavoidable harmful impacts such as biological resources, air quality, traffic and tribal resources (sacred sites), and is eligible for California Register of Historical Resources. The mining would also eliminate habitat for the California red-legged frog and California tiger salamander, both federally-listed threatened species. The loss of grasslands would also impact the American badger, and birds of prey that forage in the area such as the Golden Eagle, Northern Harrier, Prairie Falcon and Burrowing Owl.

“Juristac is the heart of Amah Mutsun spiritually and culture, and an open-pit sand and gravel mine would forever desecrate this sacred place,” said Valentin Lopez chair of Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.

 

http://www.protectjuristac.org/

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Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) photograph taken in the 1990’s (Kodachrome)

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) is a horrendous reminder of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th 1945 that killed over 100,000 people and destroyed the City by the American Armed Forces. It was the only structure left after the tragic bombing. The nearby Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum which educates the public about what occurred on that catastrophic day and afterwards. It symbolizes the horrendous power of the nuclear weapons but also gives hope for permanent world peace and preventing a re-occurrence. There has been three renovation projects (1967, 1989-1990 and 2002-2003 to preserve and maintain the Peace Dome since it was built. The Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) is a historic site from the Japanese 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, and is managed by Hiroshima City and Prefectural Government and the Government of Japan.

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/775

https://hpmmuseum.jp/?lang=eng

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Posted on by sanjotown

Vote Yes on Prop 16

On November 3rd 2020 vote yes on California Prop 16 because it will allow more diversity in public employment, education, and contracting decisions due to racial and gender bias. This year the covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis has revealed the ugly truth about race and racism in this country. Today people are quite agitated and annoyed at elected officials and institutions using race as an issue to keep people divided.

Historically it was peoples protests and the African American Civil Rights Movement that led to the signing of Executive Order 11246 (Affirmative Action Law) in 1961 by John F. Kennedy that ensured that all applicants are employed, and employees are treated fairly during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin. But in 1996 the victory of Prop 209 overturned the use of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin for education, employment, and public contracting. This proposition was created due to the backlash against the growing population of people of color. Unfortunately twenty four years later in 2020 California is one of nine states that that still bans affirmative action in education and in the workforce. But states with affirmative action give more public contracts to people of color small businesses.

Racism and racist attitudes still exist in 2020 as evident in the opposition to Yes on Prop 16, as well as, police brutality and violence against African Americans. Opponents deny and refute the existence of racism and discrimination as it relates to our country and society. These narrow and short-sighted attitudes will only keep people apart and divided. But recent demonstrations for social equity and justice are strengthening and opponents know social change is coming.

In higher education Latinos make up over half of our state’s public school students but just 25 percent of University of California undergraduate students. The Asian American admission rate at UC Berkeley is currently at 21% down from 30%. And women in California earn less than 80 cents for every dollar white men make – and for women of color and single moms it’s even worse.

Passing Proposition 16 is a seed to begin dismantling structural racism and sexism in our society. We can only hope in the future that all people can be treated equitably and fairly rather than becoming marginalized or disenfranchised people.

Posted on by sanjotown

Dance of Peace San Jose

dance of peace san jose

The banner Defund, Demilitarize (Black Lives Matter) was created and raised up by Khalilah Ramirez and her group The Dance of Peace in San Jose on June 9th 2020 in front of San Jose City Hall. Khalilah Ramirez is the creator of performance art called The Dance of Peace and its purpose is to effect inner light, joy, and peacefulness in people. She is an artist, educator, and author based in San Jose and works with groups such as Silicon Valley De-bug, Sangham Arts, and San Jose State University. Khalilah Ramirez and her members Calia Kammer, and Sharat Lin danced in front of San Jose City Hall for their performance. Sharat Lin said the banner’s purpose was for “Peace and love for the community, instead of police brutality and killings” as it relates to the recent George Floyd killing and protests.

http://www.thedanceofpeace.org/

@danceofpeace

Posted on by sanjotown

ICE Out of SCC

ice out of scc 1

On Tuesday June 4th, 2019 over 100 immigrants, activists, supporters, lawyers, and clergy held a rally at the Santa Clara County office in San Jose to support due process for immigrants and to prevent the Santa Clara County to collaborate with U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). After a strong community presence inside the chamber, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 5 to 0 to maintain the strongest Sanctuary Policy in the USA. The rally and mobilization was organized by the FIRE Coalition including: Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network (SIREN), Silicon Valley De-Bug, Asian Law Alliance, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), Pangea Legal Services, People Acting in Community Together (PACT), and Sacred Heart Community Service.

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UNITE HERE Local 19 Strike at San Jose Marriott Hotel

marriot hotel san jose strike 10-18

UNITE HERE Local 19 workers energetically continue to strike for the twelfth day at the San Jose Marriott Hotel in downtown San Jose to negotiate a better contract. The workers demand a livable wage, job safety, and job protections as some Marriott Hotel are using robot workers. Many working class workers in Silicon Valley often have to work 2-3 jobs to pay for the high housing costs and other living expenses. Meanwhile the owner of the San Jose Marriott Hotel Carey Watermark 2, a real estate investment trust, are being an irresponsible owner. Fellow Marriott workers are also striking in San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, Detroit, and Boston.

Posted on by sanjotown

Families Belong Together Rally San Jose 6-30-2018

crowd shot

Over a thousand people including families, students, community members, local church members, and hundreds of new activists gathered at San Jose City Hall on June 30, 2018 to protest Trump’s policies that separated immigrant children from their families. It was part of the larger nationwide movement of over 700 cities across America to protest Trump’s regressive immigrant policies.

Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy is reminiscence of the internment of Japanese-American during 1942 to 1945. The over 2,000 immigrant children still separated from their parents are housed in a modern day equivalent of concentration camps.

This rally shows that there is a growing movement to protect immigrant families from terror, intimidation, and persecution.

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March For Our Lives San Jose 3-24-2018

march-for-our-lives-sj-3-24-18
Thousands of people marching through the rain lead by hundreds of local high school students demanded the end of shootings of all type and for effective gun control. Most of the local organizers were from Prospect High School in Saratoga (near San Jose). March For Our Lives was organized and led by students across the country to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings sparked by the recent school killings in Florida. The students chanted “Vote Them Out” and blamed the NRA for the gun violence during their march. They demand a comprehensive and effective gun control bill be passed through Congress and they won’t stop until change happens.
http://marchforourlivessj.org