Lowrider Firsts

Submitted by Estella Inda on Thu, 02/14/2019 - 6:00 PM

Lowrider exhibit on the 5th floor of King Library

Lowrider Exhibition

On December 15, 2018, the San Jose Public Library - California Room opened its first ever lowrider exhibit, Story and King: San Jose's Lowrider Culture. With lowrider jams played by DJ Queso, the vibe was not only educational, but nostalgic.

people look at the Lowrider exhibitpeople look at the Lowrider exhibitpeople look at the Lowrider exhibit

Over 200 people joined the library that day, sharing stories of cruising and introducing their history to the younger generation. The common sentiment expressed was that it's about time San Jose is put on the map for its contributions to lowrider history, including Lowrider Magazine, first published locally by Sonny Madrid.

people look at the Lowrider exhibitpeople look at the Lowrider exhibit

In light of lowriding's importance to the history of San Jose, it was imperative that the library document and preserve this history.

people look at the Lowrider exhibitpeople look at the Lowrider exhibit

 

Lowrider Panel

crowd of seated people at the lowrider panel

On January 15, 2019 the San Jose Public Library held it's first lowrider panel event, titled "Out of the Past: San Jose's Lowrider History".  Panelist Biney Ruiz (5 Star Productions) spoke of the different lowrider events that she hosted. Panelists Jesus Flores and Daniel Martinez spoke about lowrider culture and their experiences.

speaker at the lowrider panelspeaker at the lowrider panelspeaker at the lowrider panel

Panelist Joey Flores, founder of Cisco Kid, a War tribute band, discussed his uncles Sonny Madrid (founder of Lowrider Magazine) and Rudy Madrid (leader of the band Rudy and the Cruisers). Panelist Hector Montenegro, a former Lincoln High School teacher, shared stories of lowriding and activism.

lowrider panelists

Over 300 people attended the panel event. For those that were not able to attend, video can be viewed on the San Jose Public Library's Facebook page. (View Video Part 1) (View Video Part 2)

Lowrider Culture And Society

In an era of social and political turmoil, lowriding emerged both as an artistic style and a statement of resistance. Cesar Chavez, himself a lowrider in his early years, acknowledged lowriders as an important force in Mexican American activism. Lowriding played a part in the Latino civil rights battles of the 1960s and 70s, with police crackdowns at the famous intersection of Story and King making headline news. Today, lowriders are known not just for their art, but as forces for good in their communities, hosting car shows, concerts, community barbeques and charity events, and beautifying the streets with their firme rides.

lowrider exhibit flyer

The second panel event occurs this Saturday, February 16, 2019 at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in Room 225 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm.

This panel event will feature:

Lowrider Media Coverage

The exhibit has received extensive media coverage. First, Xavier The X-Man visited the exhibit to create a promotional video. 

Then Sal Pizarro wrote an article titled "San Jose's lowrider history finally gets the spotlight: New exhibit puts lowrider culture on display at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Library".

Sal Pizarro newspaper column on the lowrider exhibit

Most recently, the Metro Silicon Valley wrote an article featuring the exhibit and some of the panelists from the different events.

Metro cover, "Slow & Low"

With all this positive feedback, this is definitely a first that we'll think about repeating!

 

Blog Category
Local History

Comments

Submitted by Raul Cardenas on Thu, 04/15/2021 - 9:41 PM

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I REMEMBER IN THELATE 70'S I HAD A COLUMN IN THE EAST SAN JOSE NEWS PAPER CALLED LOW WRITER, I FORMED SAN JOSE LOW RIDER CONCILIO. HAD MAYOR JANET GRAY HAYES CRUISE STORY AND KING RD WITH ONE OF OUR CONCILIO CAR CLUB MEMBER. I WAS A MEMBER OF THE FIESTAS PATRIAS COMMITTEE AND PUT THE FIRST LOW RIDER CAR CLUBS IN THE PARADE, KIND OF MADE THE OTHER MEMBERS NERVOUS HOW MANY THEY ASKED ,,, I SAID TEN...SO I AGREED TO THEIR NUMBERS 5 ..WE MADE HISTORY..OUR CAR CLUB WAS FIRST CHICANO PRIDES NEXT NEW STYLES NEW WAVES, ... OH THE RUN INS WITH THE MERCHANTS AT STORY AND KING ANOTHER STORY I COULD GO ON AND ON.

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