Spreckels Elementary Unveils Chicano Park-Inspired Mural

The hard-won cultural legacy of Chicano Park continues through school projects.

Earlier this month, Spreckels Elementary School unveiled a mural, “Paws for Peace Pillars,” that was inspired by the colorful art that graces the Barrio Logan park. The homage was created by hundreds of students, ranging in age from kindergarteners to fifth graders.

“We have about 680 students, and we had practically every single one of them stamp a paw print on the mural because our mascot is a wildcat. [Which left] their mark on the mural, even if it’s just one little pawprint,” said Anna Sun, one of the organizers and a parent.

The mural process started in October when the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee met professional graffiti artist David Mena at Chicano Park — who also happened to be the father of a student. The artist showed the committee the murals he had painted and discussed the meaning behind them, inspiring the idea.

After the paws were printed, the students were asked to complete a survey on which symbols they felt represented the school’s community.

The school also participated in the KPBS One Book, One San Diego program, where classrooms read “Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park” by María Dolores Águila.

The Chicano Park murals — the largest collection of outdoor murals in the United States, and a major driver of the muralist movement — are a potent symbol of the community’s struggle for self-determination. Local artists first painted them to tell their story of the Mexican-American communities who have lived there for generations and their long fight for a children’s park.

Chicano Park was finally designated a National Historic Landmark in December 2016.

Fourth-grade teacher Lori Huntsman wanted to extend the students’ knowledge of living local history from the book to their mural.

Huntsman is an ambassador for Students Rebuild, an initiative that encourages young people to address global issues through creative expression, for the school to participate in the programs Sparks Peace Project.

The school celebrated the mural’s unveiling on Thursday, March 6th, with a local mariachi band and aqua fresca refreshments. The event was to prepare for the welcoming of Maria Dolores Aguila that following Tuesday.

“Having this peace pillar helps kids feel like they’ve contributed to the community. They’re connected to the community, and the hope is that they feel a sense of belonging because it’s representing ideas and symbols that are meaningful to them,” Huntsman said.

Chicano Park is in historic Barrio Logan, San Diego’s oldest Mexican-American neighborhood, which is about a 20-minute drive from the school, Huntsman said.

In the 1960s, the California Department of Transportation built the I-5 freeway through the area, demolishing homes and splitting the neighborhood. Residents were promised that the land under the Coronado Bridge would be turned into a park.

In 1970, residents learned the land would be used for a California Highway Patrol station. As a result, the community rallied to halt construction, stood in front of bulldozers to stop them, and occupied the space for twelve days. At the end of their protest, they got their park.

The protest and the resulting murals are honored at a yearly celebration, Chicano Park Day. This year’s event, now in its 55th year, will be held on April 19.

This project was another way to keep the recent history of the region alive, said organizer Anna Sun.

“San Diego itself has a significant history of redlining. Especially in our school system, schools in certain areas are more underfunded than others. [The book] highlights the bigger city urban planning issues that are inequitable in our city as well,” said Sun.