The El Barrio Park public art project was initiated in 2017 by former Claremont City Council member Sam Pedroza, when he approached me as chairperson of the Arbol Verde Preservation Committee with an idea to paint a mural of the city’s first Catholic church, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel, at El Barrio Park.

The historic chapel was razed in 1967 to make room for the construction of Claremont Boulevard, which was built right through the middle of the east barrio.

In February 1969, a group of Chicano student activists — Ben Molina, Albert Gutierrez, and myself — formed El Barrio Park Committee and mobilized east barrio residents and Claremont High School students. We pressured the Claremont City Council to build a neighborhood park for Mexican American residents and children of the three cities (Claremont, Upland and Montclair) that comprised the historic area where Mexican religious refugees who fled the Mexican Revolution settled at the beginning of the 20th century. Known as “tierra de nadie” or “no man’s land,” this unincorporated area was the only place Mexican refugees fleeing the Mexican Revolution could buy property and build their homes, due to the racially restrictive covenants that once existed in Claremont and the surrounding communities of Upland and Monte Vista (Montclair).

We were successful. Barrio Park was dedicated in July 1972.

The Arbol Verde Preservation Committee was created in July 1973 as a grass roots community organization to prevent Claremont College incursion into the east barrio neighborhood and preserve the cultural and historic significance of El Barrio Park and the Arbol Verde east barrio.

Just as the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel served as the social nexus for east barrio residents for many years, El Barrio Park became their new hub, and Arbol Verde a thriving neighborhood.

In 2017, I met with then Claremont City Manager Tony Ramos. He said a mural at El Barrio Park was a great idea, and put forth that the city of Claremont would finance the project and Claremont McKenna College would provide matching funds. The Arbol Verde Preservation Committee sponsored a community meeting in 2018 to announce the mural project was a go and would proceed under the auspices of the newly formed Claremont Public Art Committee, with proposals to be presented to the City Council.

During the November 17 Claremont Public Art Committee meeting, I advocated for renowned Mexican artist Jose Antonio Aguirre. He presented a project that covered Arbol Verde’s past, present, and future. Mr. Aguirre was born in Jalisco and raised in Mexico City. He has been commissioned to create more than 40 public art projects throughout the United States. His work emulates the great Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente Orozco. He is a perfect fit for the project, especially in light of the City of Claremont’s recent resurrection of its sister city collaboration with Guanajuato, Mexico, where my ancestors originate. His proposed bid for the project was inaccurately reported in the Courier as $92,000. His bid was $70,000, which included “an artist’s fee of $10,000 and $5,000 for an assistant,” according to Claremont Public Information Officer Bevin Handel.

Claremont Heritage is actively promoting the three artist team of Alba Cisneros, Kathy Garcia, and Athena Hahn, who submitted a proposal with a budget of $115,000 with, “a line item of $90k for artists’ labor,” according to Handel.

At a September 18 meeting at my Arbol Verde home, I asked Claremont Heritage Executive Director David Shearer why Heritage was promoting the three-artist team. He said it was because they lived in Claremont. But the artist qualifications did not include residency.

I am also disappointed that some of the artwork presented by the three artist team is in our opinion culturally inappropriate and perpetuates racist stereotypes, such as the inclusion of a taco stand and roosters. Many east barrio residents grew up deflecting racist chants of “taco vendors” and “beaners.”

We hope Claremont’s Public Art Committee will vote for Jose Antonio Aguirre to complete the El Barrio Park public art project at its Monday, December 8 meeting. The decision should be based on common sense, fiscal responsibility, and should not perpetuate racist stereotypes.