Introducing ChiChai Mateo: Muralist for the Filipino American History Mural at SJSU

Francesca “ChiChai” Mateo, ’13 Global Studies, will paint the Filipino American History Mural at San José State in 2026. Photo: Carissa Diaz.

When Francesca “ChiChai” Mateo, ’13 Global Studies, got the email earlier this summer that she had been selected as the artist to paint the Filipino American History Mural at San José State, she was standing outside an elementary school in paint-spattered overalls and pigtails, overcome with emotion.

“I was pulling a wagon and covered in paint, and when I got the notification, I just started crying like a toddler,” says Mateo, a freelance and teaching artist based in San Francisco.

“Everything I’ve done after graduating from San José State has revolved around advocating for our culture and history. My master’s thesis at USF challenged colonial mentalities through Philippine art,” Mateo says. “So the idea that our artwork is not just for Filipinos, but for anyone coming from a colonized history, we have the power to dismantle generational trauma that comes from that history. When we engage in art that is for us and by us, it’s part of our healing and therefore part of a collective healing as well. I carry this idea into my practice, whether it’s through murals, fashion design or teaching — everything is embedded with that intention.

“I didn’t know that over a decade after graduating from SJSU, I would be a muralist. This felt truly like kismet.”

ChiChai Mateo has been selected to paint the Filipino American History Mural at SJSU.

“Years later, through the grapevine, I heard that the process for fighting for this work was revived,” she says. “When the Filipino Alumni Network first posted the call for artists on Instagram, I lost track of how many people had tagged me in it.”

Mateo submitted a formal proposal outlining her vision for the four-paneled mural, which will be painted on a pillar outside the Lupe and Ramiro Compean Diaz Student Union next spring. Over the next several months, she will be working in tandem with the Filipino American History Mural Committee (FAMHC) and university partners to solicit community feedback and gather the necessary resources. Though the imagery and plan is still in progress, Mateo hopes that the end product will inspire generations of Spartans to come.

“For fellow Filipinos in the diaspora, I want them to feel a sense of pride for our history and our culture, and also a sense of home and a sense of belonging, knowing that we are part of American history,” she says. “So many people before us have paved the way for us to be here. And for those not in the Filipino community who pass by the mural, I hope it inspires curiosity about history. I hope they see some ties between this mural and the [Arch of Dignity], and they understand that they’re connected. When people of different backgrounds come together, we can make movements. These two groups [Chicano and Filipino farmworkers] proved it.”

She describes the labor movement as an intersectional fight for justice, and hopes the mural will encourage Spartans to learn more, especially when the current political climate threatens to erase or rewrite history.

“Whether you’re Filipino or not, it’s important to know that those before us fought for civil rights, and that we, too, can put up that fight.”Learn more about Mateo’s vision for the mural at a community dialogue event hosted by the SJSU Filipino American History Mural Committee at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. The in-person event takes place on Sunday, August 24, from 1:30-4:30 pm, and a digital event is available to the public on Monday, August 25, from 6-7:30 pm. RSVP to learn more.