Summer Fest is San Jose’s largest music festival. There are many reasons to love it — but my reason is simply the joy of experiencing the breadth of our diversity dancing together, jamming together, enjoying music together and basking in our beautiful weather together.
San Jose is filled with local and international talent, much like the people who live here with over 50% of foreign-born residents. This is our strength and our challenge as we strive to build community and a sense of place in a valley of immigrants connected to someplace else.
So what attaches people to place? Several years ago, the Knight Foundation commissioned a three-year study to determine the answer called the Soul of the Community — the findings were fascinating. It didn’t matter if you were from Miami, St. Paul or San Jose, the answer was the same three years in a row. People attach to place because of its openness, beauty, and social and cultural gatherings. Summer Fest is a shining example of all three.
Openness has a lot to do with how we treat our immigrants. Can you imagine Silicon Valley’s economic success without immigrants? Can you imagine our arts and culture without immigrants? Can you imagine our local food choices without immigrants?
Silicon Valley demonstrates the power and joy of diversity and inclusion. And despite the current state of our national politics and its anti-immigrant sentiment, we will continue to celebrate the contributions of immigrants through the arts and honor that which makes us more resilient, more human, and more relevant.
Engaging in community is essential to building community. Please join us at Summer Fest 2019, August 9–11.
