LEGACY OF SOLIDARITY
LEGACY OF SOLIDARITY
By Estella Inda
Solidarity is commonly defined as “unity or agreement of feeling or actions, especially among individuals with a common interest” or “mutual support within a group”. Those common interests can be found in many different causes or issues that people feel need to be addressed in order to create change and seek equality. The recent call to action by both the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders community and Black Lives Matter has brought so many communities together again on a larger scale, as both have caught national attention. And yet, the methods of achieving change remain very similar to those that have historically fought for equality.
“The methods of achieving change remain very similar to those that have historically fought for equality.”
For example, throughout East San José history, people have come together in order to use their power in numbers to create change and advance equality. For those that grew up on the East Side during the 1970s and 1980s who have seen firsthand the power in numbers, this fight is familiar territory. Between 1920 and 1950, there were neighborhood covenants throughout San José making it impossible for non-white folks to own or rent property in select neighborhoods. This resulted in a large number of people seeking housing options in San José’s East Side, however the area was made up of uninterrupted farmland that stretched towards the foothills and lacked sufficient housing options. Most of the East Side was without basic civic funded improvements, such as paved streets, sidewalks, street lights, public transportation, and sewage. Its residents, mostly migrant agricultural workers, lived in a patchwork of rural barrios without any other options.
“...throughout East San José history, people have come together in order to use their power in numbers to create change and advance equality”
The power in numbers was key. It took the coming together of the community along with community organizations and activists for the community to be heard and demand access to many of the basic civic funded improvements installed in the East Side. The San José’s East Side community stood together in the fight for equality, to gain access to proper education, to have proper transportation from city-run buses, access to health care, and much more for all.
“.. The San José’s East Side community stood together in the fight for equality, to gain access to proper education..”