Live music, laughter and the aroma of delicious food engulfed a parking lot in Downtown San Jose on Saturday evening as community members congregated in a unifying space.
The event, called “Community Day,” was hosted by Stories for Solidarity, a nonprofit that provides cultural resources to Black, Indigenous and other communities of color through art, education and social entrepreneurship, according to its website.
Miko Yoshikawa-Baker, an SJSU sociology and African American studies senior and the organization’s founder, said she was pleased with the turnout and response to Saturday’s gathering.
“I received way more abundance, blessings and spiritual fulfillment through people coming up and saying ‘oh my gosh thank you for this space,’” Yoshikawa-Baker said after the event.
The “Community Day” event featured more than 15 vendors and live music on East Santa Clara Street. Some of the vendors included Sacred Source San Jose, Death Valley Coffee, Angel Baby Crystals and De La Tierra Plant Based Vegan Food.
Community Day had more than 100 attendees and provided an array of vegan snacks, handmade goods and healing crystals.
Yoshikawa-Baker decided to call the event “Community Day” because she wanted to unite the San Jose area by creating a space for residents to unwind and enjoy themselves during challenging times due to recent social unrest and the coronavirus pandemic.
“I wanted to create a sacred and safe space for everybody so we can express ourselves and live our best lives,” Yoshikawa-Baker said. “Stories [for Solidarity] is the place where you can come, set [those personal difficulties] aside and experience your joy.”
Nia Lopez, a San Jose resident and flea market vendor, echoed the feeling of unity at the event.
“The people here are very supportive and there’s a huge community of local artists and they all really support each other and I know because I’m a part of it,” Lopez said.
She was drawn to Saturday’s event because she wanted to stand with local artists and said she appreciated the diversity.
“I think one of the best parts was that there was live music and you usually don’t see that,” Lopez said. “There’s just a lot of everything, there’s food and drinks and even crystals.”
The event was relocated shortly before it was scheduled, which was a roadblock the organizing group faced.
Nate Lopez, who prefers to go by his stage name Nateral Legend, was an event singer and organizer who said he was eager to see so
many engaged attendees despite the difficulties.
“I believe that the response was amazing,” Lopez said. “For everybody to make the adjustment with us to the new location, and then also the fact that it was that much of a turnout on top of Cinco de Mayo weekend, it was great.”
Legend said the variety of vendors unified different energies and gave people a platform to share their experiences.
The event was purposely held on private property because organizers wanted community members to feel protected without police presence.
Yoshikawa-Baker said safety and comfortability are the most important aspects for the communities her organization serves.
“It was all without the city, police or private security,” Yoshikawa-Baker said. “It just shows that if we keep each other accountable and hold our own safe spaces and be autonomous, we don’t have to rely on these systems.”
Stories for Solidarity will continue its community efforts in the future with an upcoming open-mic event and an event focused on Black culture to honor the Juneteenth holiday.
