For Alan Gouig, '19 Management, the project chairperson of the Filipino American History Mural committee and president and founder of SJSU's Filipino Alumni Network, the mural represents years of hard work and advocacy, not only on his behalf, but on behalf of generations of community members and alumni who have dedicated years to uplifting the stories of their peers and neighbors.

"What means [so much] to me is how much of a cross-cultural, cross-generational community that this [mural] has brought together," said Gouig at the community paint day. "A project like this does not stop here. We think about how we can show up for others, how we can show up for other communities who are fighting for the same representation, if not more, in their own respective ways … The story of this project is one that I'm hoping will be told for generations to come."

The mural includes images ofLarry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and Pete Velasco, leaders of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), who advocated for farmworkers' rights alongside the United Farm Workers Association, later teaming up to create the United Farm Workers (UFW). Lorraine Agtag, an advocate for Filipinx farmworkers, is also included in the relief, alongside pineapples, asparagus, bananas and grapes - many crops that Filipinx farmworkers helped cultivate. The words "Isang Bagsak" (One Fall) are prominent, representing a clapping chant used by organizers to state solidarity.

Another panel depicts the Valley of Heart's Delight, recreating some of the iconic photographs of historic Pinoytown, many of which retired aerospace engineer Robert V. Ragsac Sr., '54 Mechanical Engineering, references in his Pinoytown walking tours . Present-day Pinoytown includes the three blocks that fit inside Jackson and Taylor Streets and Fourth and Seventh streets. Since 2019, Ragsac has led interactive tours with the support of the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) to highlight local Filipinx American history, giving out printed guides and maps he created.

"This mural is not merely paint on the surface," said Ragsac, now 94. "I would like to dedicate it to that first wave of [Filipino] farmworkers, of which I was a part. When I was a student on campus in the 1950s, there were maybe seven Filipino Americans on campus. But with our mural, I hope that when students come by and look at it, it will somehow affect them."

The third panel features a man and woman dancing, with portraits of Ragsac, as well as Executive Director of LEAD Filipino Angelica Cortez, '10 Political Science; SJSU Professor of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Emerita Estella Habal; journalist and former president of the national Asian American Journalist Association Lloyd LaCuesta, '69 Journalism; and Erwin Mina, '82 Business Administration, executive board president of the Filipino American National Historical Society Museum, among others.

The final panel, which includes room for a plaque thanking the many community members and donors who contributed to the mural planning process, is framed by images of farmworkers stooping to tend the land. When planning the mural, Mateo said she wanted to highlight the solidarity of the farmworker movement.