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Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Volume 163 No. 36 SERVING SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
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MLK Library refers to 500-mile run By Anahi Herrera Villanueva STAFF WRITER
In celebration of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library (MLK) held a “running in a prayer” exhibit showing the history and purpose of the California 500 American Indian Spiritual Marathon Relay Team. On Nov. 9 a ceremony and the actual run took place while the opening of the exhibit was this past Saturday, according to SJSU events. The first spiritual marathon was started by Dennis Banks in 1978 and started from San Francisco to Washington D.C, according to the CA 500 mile native-run web page. Banks was hunted by the FBI where the California government was giving sanctuary due to the Wounded Knee occupation in which 300 Lakota people were killed and Banks was advocating for the Lakota people, according to a Oct. 30 2017 NPR article. Peggy Cabrera is MLK’s Librarian assigned to the Africana, Asian American, Chicano, and Native American studies center and feels the exhibit is important.
“The runners’ stories that are shared give visitors a glimpse of the diversity of people who participate in the running group,” said Cabrera. This year the Africana, Asian American, Chicano, & Native American Studies Center (AACNA) focuses its program on community health. The California 500 American Indian Spiritual Marathon Relay focuses on increasing awareness of the needs of our native American communities as well as helping the Africana, Asian American, Chicano, & Native American Studies Center program goal, according to Cabrera. The relay mile run is to honor early Native American tradition and advocate for the Native American Religious Freedom Act, according to the same CA 500 mile native-run website. Located on the fifth floor of the MLK library is an art exhibition that further gives the history of the 500-mile relay run and its connection to San José, according to the same SJSU events page. With its display of orange and red colors throughout the altar, the exhibit allowed for a reminder of their history and culture.
ANAHI HERRERA VILLANUEVA | SPARTAN DAILY
An altar at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library displays Native American relics from the CA 500-mile native-run.
Elba Vidal, a nutritional science graduate student, noticed the vibrant colors and the size difference compared to previous cultural exhibits. “I think it’s really great that there is an exhibit for Native Americans but I think in comparison to the Día de los Muertos exhibit, it was a lot more noticeable,” Vidal said. “It is important to honor Native American lives, history, and culture on a college campus to remind the greater community that Native Americans and Indigenous people are alive and living in our communities,” Cabrera said. “History of Native Americans from the perspective of the dominant culture has many errors.
History and stories from Native American (and) indigenous perspectives are critical.” Those who participated in the 500 miles also worked together to bring the exhibit to life, according to Cabrera. They did this by bringing their material to work for the exhibition and designing the exhibit, creating banners and flyers to go around campus. These members had the help of Martha Behler, an SJSU activity coordinator, according to Cabrera. Items brought included a blanket in which visitors of the exhibit are allowed to pray on the blanket as well as share tobacco to help everyone's spirituality, according to Cabrera.
Only 0.4 percent of the student population at SJSU are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students, according to San Jose State. Alan Vazquez, a fourthyear kinesiology student is among that 0.4 percent and is taking the time during November to reflect on what Native American heritage means to him. “It’s important to me to reflect on the traditions passed down,” Vazquez said. “It's also a time to educate others and celebrate the diversity within Native cultures." Along with the California 500 American Indian Spiritual Marathon Relay, the MLK library will also host a series of events to encourage students to participate in
their heritage, according to Cabrera. These events will include stories of Native American History, arts and crafts, and recommended reading to learn more about the tribes that surround us and more importantly, it is a time to reflect, according to the San José Public Library. “This month is to honor my heritage. I take the time to connect with family, specifically my grandparents to learn more about our history as well as the history of my family through our stories,” said Vazquez. Follow Anahi on Instagram @a.nahi.h
SJ City Hall maps out future plans By Charity Spicer STAFF WRITER
The City of San José’s planners, project managers and developers held an online community meeting on Monday to garner feedback from residents on a new affordable housing development on 2940 Alum Rock Avenue, a 10 minute drive from campus. Laura Meiners, a planner and project manager for the City of San José, presented detailed information in her presentation on the new development to community members and described key elements of the project. “We do our analysis, we have our community meeting and from the community meeting we recommend relevant items that can be addressed in the plans,” Meiners said. “Then once there are no additional comments, staff provides a recommendation, and in this case it will go to the planning director’s hearing.” The property is currently dedicated for commercial use, but will be used for 100% affordable housing located near east of 680, the interstate highway which connects San José to Oakland, Richmond, and Fairfield, according to the meeting agenda. In order for the project to begin, the city must receive the “H24-042 Site Development” permit. This permit allows the
city to demolish two vacant buildings and construct a six-story multifamily residential building totaling 400 units, according to Meiners. Charlotte Yuen, a planner for the City of San José, said the city will also assess the environmental impact of this project through the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a requirement that holds developers accountable to disclose the potential environmental impact of a project, according to the meeting agenda. Darren Berberian, a business developer for The Pacific Companies, presented a presentation on the developer side of the site and said the company specializes in affordable housing. This project is part of three local developments of The Pacific Companies on Alum Rock Avenue that are planned to finish in 2026, according to the presentation. “The vision from the community was to have some cohesiveness with the architecture, color and presentation,” Berberian said. “So we took a lot of characteristics from 2880 Alum Rock and implemented it here to further out that vision with response to the community.”
Requirements to qualify for housing are rigorous and rent ranges from studios at 30% Area Median Income or $968 per month, to three bedroom units at 80% Area Median Income with $3,834 per month, according to Berberian’s presentation. On the affordable housing portal, those eligible for affordable housing in San José include those with limited income, seniors, developmentally disabled people, transition age youth and the special needs population, according to its website. However, each property has different requirements per the property manager and housing agency, according to the portal. In the public comment section, community members such as residents of the Alum Rock neighborhood and city councilmembers asked questions about the development, sharing support and skepticism. Consepcion Amaya, a local resident near the site, expressed concerns about the construction hours and how many spaces are available for residents to park in the complex. “We just went through a demo behind my house. And they’re coming very early. I want to make sure that those hours are followed and not disturbing the neighborhood,” Amaya said.
GRAPHIC BY CHARITY SPICER | SPARTAN DAILY
Berberian said state law requires only half a space of parking per unit but they are providing one space per unit. “For low-income families that work a lot, it's been the experience that they have more than one car. So that’s still going to be challenging,” Amaya said. East San José faces parking battles in neighborhoods all over the area because of the overflow of unhoused residents and not enough parking spaces, according to an Oct. 11, 2022 San José Spotlight article. Peter Ortiz, the councilmember of District
5 in San José, expressed his support for the intentions of the project being to improve the neighborhoods within his district because of the issues of crime and houselessness it is facing. “Unfortunately, (the site) it's been an attraction of life … and crime in the area,” Ortiz said. “So I am interested in identifying a way to develop the site, hopefully beautify it because the neighbors in the area have been intimidated due to some activity. And I think that the best solution is to fill up this vacant site.” In September, San José provided security cameras
to businesses in Alum Rock in order to combat crime which cost the city $50,000, according to a Sept. 19 article from NBC Bay Area. Jose Villarreal, a longtime resident of District 5, urged the city to consider parking issues and the impact on the community. “You mentioned that vibrancy doesn’t occur without greater community. But it also could have a negative impact,” Villarreal said. Follow Charity on Instagram @charity.spicer