February 13, 2007

District 2 Report

A February full of celebrations

By Councilmember Forrest Williams
Special to the Times

There is more to celebrate in the month of February than Valentine’s Day. While Valentine’s Day has become highly commercialized, we must not forget that it is a day to celebrate love. Moreover, we should remember this day to show the people in our lives how much we love and care for them, not just through flowers and cards but also through words and expressions. Even though the true meaning behind the day seems to get transformed and commercialized, the day can still be very special for the ones we love.

Black History Month, a celebration that has existed since 1926, is celebrated annually in the United States in the month of February. This is also a time to celebrate and honor the past and present achievements and contributions that African-Americans have made to every area of American life.

Everyone can do their part to ensure equality and harmony between all races. Celebrate Black History Month with your children this February, and spend some extra time learning about the extraordinary accomplishments of African-Americans. Currently, History San Jose is featuring, “Speed City: From Civil Rights to Black Power,” at the Pacific Hotel Galleries at History Park in Kelley Park, which runs between Jan. 12 through Nov. 30. This exhibition focuses on several Spartan athletes at San Jose State University who became principal figures during this period of dramatic social transformation.

On Feb. 18, we will mark the start of the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. This year, we celebrate the Year of the Dog. While there is not an exact date for the start of the New Year because of the fluctuations in the moon’s cycle, it ranges from late January to mid-February.

Although the Chinese were the first group of people recognized for celebrating the Lunar New Year, the

Vietnamese and Korean communities also share in the festivities. Celebrations of the Lunar New Year vary, but the underlying message is one of peace and happiness for family members and friends. On Sat., Feb.18, you can take part in the Vietnamese Spring Festival & Parade in Downtown San Jose. For more information, please call (408) 292-0623 or visit http://www.vsfsanjose.com.

A celebration that gets overshadowed by the popularity of other February celebrations is Library Lovers’ Month, created by library supporters in honor of libraries. Library Lovers’ Month is a month-long celebration of school, public and private libraries of all types. This is a time for everyone, especially library support groups, to recognize the value of libraries and to work to assure that the nation’s libraries will continue to serve the public. Whether they depend on the library for bestselling books, children’s story time, or access to computers and the Internet, it is important for our city’s residents to visit libraries and thank a librarian for making this unique and wonderful institution possible.

I encourage all of you to celebrate the month of February with a visit to your community library. Additionally, some of the city’s library branches will be holding special events and programs this month for community members in honor of Black History Month as well as the Lunar New Year. For more information regarding these programs, future events, or about other ways to support your public library, please call (408) 808-2000 or visit http://www.sjlibrary.org.

Ways to contact Councilmember Williams

My office is available to answer questions, receive ideas and suggestions, and solve problems and issues – or anything else that you would like to discuss about District 2 or the city of San Jose. We are here to serve. Below, you will find several ways in which you can reach me.

If you have something that you would like brought to my attention, or something that you would like to discuss with me, we can meet together in several ways:

Office Hours: Office Hours for the month of February will be on Sat., Feb. 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Santa Teresa Library, and Wed., Feb. 25 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Southside Senior and Community Center.

My Mobile Office Hours will begin at 9 a.m. on Sat., Feb. 24 at Glider Elementary School and continue throughout the surrounding neighborhood.

If you would like to know where I will be walking in future months, please refer to the District 2 Web site at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/district2/officehours.asp and click on the “Office Hours” link.

Contact Information: As always, you can reach me by calling my office at (408) 535-4902 or by e-mailing me at forrest.williams@sanjoseca.gov. For more information you can also visit the District 2 Website: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/district2.