IGNITING NEW LEGACIES
IGNITING NEW LEGACIES
By Paola Mondragon
In light of the recent Cesar Chavez Family home preservation, words fall short when explaining how special this preservation is for someone like me, who grew up here. Yet, as I reflect on the significance of the preservation to me, I realize that this preservation not only belongs to East San José residents. It belongs to the entire city, state, and any individual that was moved by Cesar Chavez.
“...I realize that this preservation not only belongs to East San José residents.”
It isn’t news to any East San José resident like me, that our neighborhood has for long been given a negative stigma. We often hear East San José being described as poor, unsafe, and “ghetto.” As a child, hearing these things can naturally make you feel ashamed and embarrassed due to the constant misrepresentation of our community. Yet, on the other hand, being able to learn as a child that Cesar Chavez began his movement in the small but humble neighborhood I called home, eliminated all of the shame I could have ever experienced. I learned to recognize that East San José is a culture-rich, resilient home and that was what made me prideful about living where I lived, despite all the negative stigmas being thrown at me day by day.
“...Cesar Chavez began his movement in the small but humble neighborhood I called home, eliminated all of the shame I could have ever experienced.”
So for some people like me, being able to preserve the Cesar Chavez Family home is simply a symbol of keeping our pride alive. Not just because there’s something special about still having a standing, physical sanctuary that symbolizes years of activism, but because there’s something so powerful in knowing that one day I’ll be able to organize in the same space Cesar Chavez did.
“...being able to preserve the Cesar Chavez Family home is simply a symbol of keeping our pride alive.”