Category Archives: News

Let’s celebrate CommUniverCity’s 13th anniversary!

It’s time to celebrate another year of CommUniverCity!

On Wednesday, April 25, 5:00–7:30 p.m., we will come together to showcase some of CommUniverCity’s banner community projects and recognize remarkable people who have gone above and beyond to give back to our communities.

The event will be fair-style with interactive project stations led by San José State University faculty and students in partnership with community members. Come to eat some delicious tacos catered by a neighborhood business, win prizes that include an iPad, and meet the community members who ensure the success of our projects. Awards will be presented from 6:30-7:15 p.m.

We hope you will join us to learn more about CommUniverCity’s work in our neighborhoods.

Please register HERE for this event so we have a good count for ordering food.

When: Wednesday, April 25, 2018, 5:00–7:30
Where: Roosevelt Community Center, 901 E Santa Clara St, San José

March 2018 Sourisseau Academy photo album and video

The New Almaden Mining Historic District takes its name from the Almaden mercury mines in Spain. Originally developed by the Romans, they were renamed by the Eighth Century Islamic conquerors of Spain and called “Al Madan” (The Mine). The name survived for well over a thousand years and was reused when mercury was discovered in California. In the March 2018 Sourisseau Academy photo album Sourisseau Board Member and Anthropology Professor Charlotte Sunseri explores the history of New Almaden, from the California Gold Rush to the early Twentieth Century.

The New Almaden Quicksilver Mine brought technical expertise from around the world. Miners came from Mexico, from Chile, and from as far away as Cornwall. In the March 2018 Sourisseau Academy news video Ralph Pearce details the story of the tremendous growth of the ethnic diversity of the Santa Clara Valley’s populace during the decades of quicksilver production at New Almaden.

February 2018 Sourisseau Academy photo album and video

Today’s multilingual voter pamphlets do not have instructions in French, German, Italian, or Portuguese. But as historian Ralph Pearce reveals, between 1848 and 1920 those ethnic groups were among the most prevalent communities in the Santa Clara Valley. The February 2018 Sourisseau Academy photo album explores San Jose’s early immigrants and their interesting ethnic neighborhoods.

In the February 2018 Sourisseau Academy news video Michael Hurley examines San Jose’s earliest banks; one of which — A.P. Giannini’s Bank of Italy — eventually became today’s Bank of America.

Elizabeth Weiss discusses new book

“I love bones. My appreciation of the beauty of skeletal anatomy started at a very young age,” writes Anthropology Professor Elizabeth Weiss in a University of Florida Press blog post, “Human Variation: More Than Skin Deep.” In the post Professor Weiss discusses insights from her new book, Reading the Bones: Activity, Biology, and Culture. For example, “forensic anthropologists are attempting to use bone variation to identify more than just age, sex, and cause of death. Some have used differences in upper arm bone diameters to look at whether the individual was left- or right-handed, arguing that the strength of the bone indicates which arm was used more.” Fascinating!

January 2018 Sourisseau Academy photo album and video

From the 1860s to World War II, most of the money in Santa Clara County was stacked in the vaults of San José banks located within two blocks of First and Santa Clara streets. In the January 2018 Sourisseau Academy photo album Michael Hurley, retired attorney and Sourisseau Board member, details the history of late 19th century and early 20th century banking in the region.

In the January 2018 Sourisseau Academy news video SJSU Professor Emeritus of Anthropology Tom Layton continues his exploration of unusual Santa Clara Valley architecture.