San Jose Unveils Mural Honoring Inez Jackson

San Jose added a new public tribute to Inez Jackson this week, placing a mural at the African American Community Service Agency site that carries her name through the Inez C. Jackson library. The mural was unveiled on May 19, according to local reporting, and sits at the AACSA location near Sixth Street and Julian Street in downtown San Jose. The project was created in partnership with San Jose Public Library and the African American Community Service Agency, with local artist Ian Young identified as the mural artist in fundraising materials. ### Who was Inez Jackson, and why is San Jose honoring her now? Inez Jackson was a teacher, activist and postal worker whose name is closely tied to Black civic life in San Jose. Local and archival accounts describe her as San Jose’s first Black postal clerk, hired in 1949 after civil-service segregation rules changed and after activists pressed for her appointment. Jackson also led major local civil-rights and service organizations. (mercurynews.com) The Womanhood Project profile says she served as president of the local NAACP branch beginning in 1969, later became the first African American president of the YWCA in San Jose, and founded the African American Community Service Agency in 1978. The AACSA remains one of the few African American cultural centers in Silicon Valley. (fundrazr.com) The group says it was founded in 1978 and continues to run education, wellness and community programs from its North Sixth Street location. ### Where is the mural, exactly? The mural is at the African American Community Service Agency, which lists its address as 304 N. Sixth St. in San Jose. The site is near the downtown intersection referenced in local coverage as Sixth and Julian, and it houses the Inez C. (womanhoodproject.org) Jackson library. The library itself has long been part of Jackson’s local legacy. The Womanhood Project says the Inez C. Jackson library at AACSA was established in 1981 in her honor, making the new mural an addition to an existing memorial presence rather than a first recognition. (sjaacsa.org) ### Who made the mural, and how was it organized? Fundraising material for the project names Local Color as the organizer working in partnership with AACSA and local artist Ian Young. (sjaacsa.org) The campaign says the mural was intended to commemorate Jackson’s work and life, beautify the AACSA building and draw new visitors to the site. Ian Young is identified in those materials through Quiet Giant Design, his visual arts and graphic design practice. (womanhoodproject.org) Local Color describes itself as a San Jose nonprofit focused on supporting artists and public-art projects. San Jose Public Library’s role fits with its broader arts programming. The library system says public art installations are placed across its locations and that its newsroom tracks partnerships, exhibits and related programming. (fundrazr.com) ### What does the mural add to Jackson’s public legacy? The mural gives Jackson a more visible street-level memorial in a city where her influence has often been preserved through institutions and local history work. (fundrazr.com) Fundraising material for the project said there was little in public space commemorating her legacy, despite her long record in civil rights, housing, education and employment advocacy. (sjpl.org) The new artwork also ties together several strands of San Jose civic life: a community service agency Jackson helped found, a library partnership, and a public-art effort carried by local nonprofit arts organizers. That combination is documented in the project materials and in local reporting on the unveiling. (fundrazr.com) ### What comes next for people who want to see it? AACSA’s website lists ongoing public events and open-library programming at 304 N. Sixth St., giving visitors a standing way to see the site beyond the unveiling itself. San Jose Public Library also maintains public information on its arts programming and newsroom updates for related community projects. AACSA’s next listed events include community programming in late May and early June 2026, according to its website, which means the mural is becoming part of an active public campus rather than a one-day installation. (mercurynews.com) (sjaacsa.org)