Recently, Poly had the pleasure of listening to global scholar Sophia R. speak about her experience at Chicano Park. Sophia, an ambitious global scholar having traveled to Peru and now visiting to the US-Mexican border, tells our community about the significance and impact of a park situated under the I-5 freeway in San Diego.
Sophia explained to us that the beautiful park had not always been such a beautiful site. In fact, initially the park was intended to be a California Highway Patrol Station. Luckily, hundreds of men and women from the frustrated Mexican American community, whom had been promised a park, formed a human chain around the bulldozers forcing government officials to eventually allow the pillars and land to be converted into a park. The subsequent creation of the Chicano park celebrates the power and acknowledges the struggle of the Mexican American people through beautiful murals and the success of the protest.
Reflecting personally on her experience in national landmark, Sophie explained that there was a profound emotion attached to the park. The intensity of the murals of blood, eyes, and surreal figures were difficult to fathom. However, Sophia did bring up the important question about how a community can transform public spaces with art. Overall, Sophia's description of her experience on both the Mexican-American Border trip, and at Chicano Park opened the eyes of community members to the hopeful story of a strong community.