Legacy Month

Smith Carlos Lawn Monument

Annually, the CCCAC hosts Legacy Month in October. 

The purpose of Legacy Month is to honor the rich history of student activism and civic engagement. Legacy Month is hosted every year specifically in October to commemorate SJSU alumni Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who took a brave political stance during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics on October 16.

Read about the Olympic athletes who took a stand.

Legacy Month 2023

LEGACY MONTH TABLING KICK OFF 
Monday, October 2 | 10:00AM -12:00PM
7th Street Plaza 
Learn more about Legacy Month and receieve a pin and boba! First come, first serve.

LEGACY MONTH SPEAKER: DR. IBRAM X. KENDI
Tuesday, October 3 | 6:00PM - 7:30PM
Student Union Ballroom & Zoom Option. Click to register for zoom!
Ibram Xolani Kendi is an American author, professor, anti-racist activist, and a historian of race and discriminatory policy in America. In July 2020, he founded the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University where he serves as director. Kendi was included in Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

LEGACY MONTH KEYNOTE SPEAKER DEBRIEF
Thursday, October 5 | 4:00PM - 5:00PM 

LEGACY MONTH ROOTED: SOCIAL JUSTICE MUSIC & ART FESITVAL
Thursday, October 12 | 3:00PM - 6:00PM
Tower Lawn
Featuring artists: Jazz FM, La Doña, and Queens of Castro
Rooted highlights local Bay Area artists, performers, and vendors who are doing incredible work in our community and who call on us to contribute to a more socially just world.

VOICES UNLEASHED: EMPOWERING MINDS WITH BANNED BOOKS
Tuesday, October 10 | 1:00PM - 2:00PM 
Student Union Meeting Room 3A
Immerse yourself in discussions led by local poets and professors championing the right to explore literature without limits. 

DAY OF ACTION: CONTINUING THE SMITH AND CARLOS LEGACY
Monday, October 16 | 12:00-1:30PM
Smith & Carlos Statues 
Join the SJSU campus community as we come together to reflect on the significance of Tommie Smith and John Carlos' historic action 53 years ago in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and it's relevance to today's struggle for social justice.

CANCELLED: LEGACY MONTH MOVIE: WITH DRAWN ARMS
Monday, October 16 | 6:00pm 
Student Union Meeting Room 3
Drawn Arms (2020) Filmmaker Glenn Kaino partners with Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith as he looks back 50 years to the movement that helped define a movement and changed the course of his life forever.

SJSU 2ND ANNUAL LEGACY WALK
Friday, October 20 | Starting at 10:00am 
Register at: tinyurl.com/legacywalk23 

Additional Resources