East San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza has a bright future

As the Mexican Heritage Plaza celebrates its 25th anniversary, its operators continue to strive for a brighter future for East San Jose residents.

The School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza and its partners are bringing health care, affordable housing and economic development to the Mayfair neighborhood — as well as creating San Jose’s first cultural district known as La Avenida. Gardner Health Services will provide mental health, medical, dental and chiropractic services at its family wellness center, which will break ground in August and open next year. A black box theater and cafe will be operated by the School of Arts and Culture. Graffiti and blight marring nearby vacant storefronts have been replaced with colorful murals of a jaguar, hummingbird, butterflies and flowers — representing a sense of renewal.

“We are adamant we need to be the masters of our own fate,” Jessica Paz-Cedillos, co-executive director of the School of Arts and Culture, told San José Spotlight. “We can’t leave development to outsiders.”

Plans are underway to build at least 100 homes by the plaza, plus commercial space for small businesses and nonprofits. Up to 35% of affordable housing will be set aside for low-income residents following the San Jose City Council approving a landmark policy to stop displacement in March. In addition, up to 10% of affordable housing will be reserved for local artists, per a state law passed last October.

Vanessa Shieh, co-executive director of the School of Arts and Culture, told San José Spotlight the organization is committed to ensuring residents who live in the Mayfair neighborhood can remain there. Paz-Cedillos said the School of Arts and Culture is advocating for all of the potential homes to be affordable.

“It’s incredibly important the local assets we have in this community remain affordable and accessible,” Paz-Cedillos said. “We’re not pushing our families out. We’re able to protect and preserve what we have, and the investments being made in the community.”

Mexican Heritage Plaza proved crucial during the pandemic, providing a site for COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and food from Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. The location continues to provide food distribution.

“As a cultural institution in the heart of East San Jose, a community that is primarily Latino, Vietnamese and immigrant working class… we have a responsibility to respond to its needs,” Paz-Cedillos said.

East San Jose is no stranger to disparity, with some of the highest rates of poverty and overcrowding in Santa Clara County.

The plaza is also a site of political advocacy and community organizing, honoring leaders such as civil rights icon Cesar Chavez, who organized a grocery store boycott for farm workers’ rights in the 1960s.

In November 2020, Latino leaders held a news conference urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to appoint a Latino to the U.S. Senate when Vice President Kamala Harris was nominated. The Si Se Puede Collective held a rally demanding immigration reform that same month. The plaza was a campaign stop in August 2019 for presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, now transportation secretary, and for a forum on reproductive freedom earlier this year by Vice President Harris.

Paz-Cedillos credits Blanca Alvarado, who has spent decades in politics and community advocacy and served on the San Jose City Council and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, with the creation of Mexican Heritage Plaza, which opened on Sept. 9, 1999.

“She had to fight for what she believed in and for the investments that she thought were important in East San Jose,” Paz-Cedillos said. “It is not easy for women of color to lead. I have the privilege and the benefit of standing on the shoulders of giants and Blanca Alvarado is one of those giants.”

Alvarado fought to persuade her colleagues on the City Council and the redevelopment agency to expand the initial concept and budget of a community garden to include a plaza and theater.

“It has been the work of 50 years of advocacy,” Alvarado told San José Spotlight. “I am grateful to be a part of this legacy.”

Mexican Heritage Plaza also offers cultural and educational programs, which Paz-Cedillos said brings a sense of pride to the community. A free summer camp allows children to learn folkloric dance. Arts Education Program Manager Rojana Ibarra said it’s important for youth to have sense of pride in who they are and where they come from.

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“When you think about community building, it’s not just about social services… systemic change and the policies we are championing. It’s also about creating moments where people can come and enjoy each other’s company, each other’s cultures, each other’s foods,” Paz-Cedillos said.

Alvarado said when she was on the council, officials approved plans for economic revitalization of Alum Rock Avenue alongside Mexican Heritage Plaza, which never happened.

“Now, maybe the second half of the dream is going to be realized,” Alvarado told San José Spotlight.

Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].