Local artists and vendors lined up on San Jose State Tower Lawn on Thursday for the fourth annual “Rooted 2022,” a social justice music and art festival presented by the César E. Chávez Community Action Center.
The sounds of local bands could be heard from the stage while the smell of popcorn, from a booth run by the coffee shop Nirvana Soul, filled the air.
Diana Garcia Rodriguez, the César E. Chávez Community Action Center department coordinator and event host, said the center’s staff worked over the summer in preparation for “Rooted 2022.”
“Our department manager came up with the event itself to highlight Bay Area artists that are doing social justice work and philanthropy work,” Garcia Rodriguez said. “I really wanted to ground ourselves or root ourselves in the idea of a more just world that is going to be back to the community.”
This was Garcia Rodriguez’s first year hosting the event and she said she received support from the Associated Students Board of Directors and Diana Victa, the César E. Chávez Community Action Center’s department manager.
Garcia Rodriguez said the festival was difficult to organize, but she was excited for its variety of artists and vendors.
“I see art as a form of expression very similar to the way that we talk, the way that we communicate and so amazing artists like the ones that we have today, do the work to try and figure out how to express themselves through their talents,” she said.
In addition to performances from DJ Umami, the Eritrean American singer ASTU and Queen of the Castro, other performing artists had booths at the event.
Maylea Saito, a freelance visual artist who joined the festival, came back to Rooted 2022 after the 2018 celebration to exhibit her screen prints.
“When you make prints, you're essentially multiplying one idea into many pieces of shareable art,” Saito said. “Screen printing has been a fun, engaging way to create art around shared values, spread ideas and bring others into the art making process.”
Screen printing is a printing process of making a design that is transferred onto a flat surface using ink, mesh and squeegee, according to CustomPlanet, which is a United Kingdom-based printwear provider.
Saito said it was amazing to be back on campus for a big event after the coronavirus pandemic.
“People were so kind and engaging and I would overhear students making new friends while waiting in line for a print,” she said. “Even though I didn't have time to explore the rest of the festival outside of my booth, I could feel the enthusiasm and joy amongst all the folks that came by to print a poster.”
Nicólas González-Medina, a local wood carver and printmaker, also showcased his work at the event.
Woodcarving is a form of woodworking in which people use cutting tools to create figures or design with pieces of wood, according to SchaafTools, which is a woodcarving-product provider.
González-Medina said his art is really impactful for the undocumented community and hopes that he can spread awareness about legislation on immigration.
“I think political art needs to be accessible and so that's why I donate my art,” said González-Medina, who offered students free prints.
Although the festival showcased different Bay Area artists promoting social justice, the festival was also an opportunity for different SJSU student associations to put their social activisms in the spotlight.
Ariana Shah, the Afghan Student Association secretary, said she shared information about the group's mission during the event.
“We are currently trying to get support for the Afghan Adjustment Act, which grants more residency for Afghan refugees who have worked with the United States,” Shah said. “We are also trying to familiarize ourselves with everyone.”
Garcia Rodriguez said while social justice and activism were still at the core of the festival, artists and vendors were able to support their respective local communities through arts and music.
“That's where I see activism and art come together, and that's the core,” she said. “It is like finding that way to express what it is that your beliefs and values are.”
