New SJSU mural honors Filipino American farmworker leaders

A mural honoring Filipino American farmworker leaders and local history was set to be unveiled Friday, Oct. 30, outside San Jose State University's Diaz Compean Student Union, according to the university.

The building's full name is the Ramiro Compean and Lupe Diaz Compean Student Union.  SJSU named it in 2016 for Lupe Diaz Compean, a South Bay philanthropist, and her late husband, Ramiro, after she pledged $15 million to the university.

Lead artist Francesca "ChiChai" Mateo, a 2013 SJSU global studies graduate, painted the mural on a four-paneled cement pillar, with help from volunteers at a Sept. 4 community paint day, SJSU's NewsCenter says.  The unveiling was set for 1 p.m. during Filipino American History Month, whose campus theme this year is "Kuwento Natin:  Our Stories."

What it shows

The mural shows Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and Pete Velasco, leaders of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, a farmworkers' union that later joined with others to form the United Farm Workers.  It also shows farmworker advocate Lorraine Agtag, crops such as grapes and asparagus, and the words "Isang Bagsak" ("One Fall"), a clapping chant organizers used to show unity.

Another panel recreates photos of San Jose's historic Pinoytown, the Filipino neighborhood that alumnus Robert V. Ragsac Sr., 94, shows on walking tours.  "This mural is not merely paint on the surface," Ragsac said.

Why it was made

Student groups and SJSU's Filipino Alumni Network pushed for years for the artwork, the university says.  They had noted that the campus Arch for Dignity, Equality and Justice, which honors United Farm Workers leaders such as Dolores Huerta, left out Filipino labor leaders.  "There is much power when different groups come together and fight," Mateo said.

Source:  SJSU NewsCenter, Sept. 28; SJSU CAPISE, Filipino American History Month; SJSU NewsCenter, Feb. 25, 2016.