Peace and Unity

Artist: Graciela Vega

A longtime resident of Watsonville, Alan Hicks is a mover and shaker, a bridge builder, a Vintner, and a politically savvy supporter of the arts. He is a co-founder of the Peace and Unity March which began in 1994 and speaks out against violence in South Santa Cruz County. He is also a co-founder of South County Indivisible, amplifying the voices and supporting the civil rights of all members of our community in southern Santa Cruz County which began in 2017.

The image Alan chose highlights his values, hopes and dreams for Peace, Unity and Understanding between all people, especially those of us living in Watsonville.

Alan tells the story of standing on his back veranda. A friend of his says, ” Look! There’s a Hummingbird”. Alan looks and says, “I don’t see it”. His friend says, “It’s right there, Just look!”. The problem was that there was a flower blocking Alan’s view of the Hummingbird. His friend’s insistence that he just look is the crux of the story: A person’s position and perspective influence their reality of the world. When someone’s position and perspective is different from your own neither reality is wrong, and neither reality is right for both. The truth is in seeing the whole picture.

This idea is caught in the imagery of the Peace and Unity mural. The Hummingbird on the left and flowers on both sides is a simplified version of Alan’s story, and in the center is the Peace and Unity logo. The logo was created from a drawing by Graciela Vega and then developed by the Barrios Unidos graphics team as a logo when Alan became the Chair for the Peace and Unity March from 2014-2016. The march had been started by the Watsonville Brown Berets in 1994 after Jorge Cortez, 16, and his sister Jessica, 9, were killed by gang members. The connection between the story and the Peace and Unity March is in that harmony can be achieved by seeing the whole picture.

Community Arts and Empowerment is grateful for Alan’s generous donation to our program and ongoing support for the arts and voices of the underserved.