Juneteenth: A Time of Hope and a Time of Despair

The announcement at Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865 of General Granger’s General Order Number 3, began most significantly with these words: “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” Indeed, it was great news and a “Jubilee Day” despite the fact that it…

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Sacred Spaces on the East Side

Sacred Spaces on the East Side Attest to a Hundred Years of History – by Don Mathis (2019)   “The cornerstone of the East Side” is how African American historian Kenneth Mason describes the black churches of San Antonio.   Several African American church buildings still stand after more than a century of use. The City Council and the Office of…

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Growing Up. I Mean… Really. Growing Up.

I still recall my grandmother taking me downtown to her regular stops with me (as a 6-7 year old: Joske’s, the library, and Majestic theatre. On my first bus trip to downtown San Antonio with grandmother, I hopped in happiness down the aisle because the whole back seat was EMPTY!  On my school bus in the North East ISD…

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Fiesta Memories

When I was growing up, there were two holidays for school children with parades; Rodeo and Fiesta. Naturally the teachers included a big build up to the holiday with appropriate decorations. Fiesta was much more colorful, so the class bulletin boards sported brilliant paper flowers and photos in tribute to the Battle of Flowers Parade. That was always the…

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A peek at The Historic Impact of the African American Vote in Texas

  In 1944, the Texas Democratic Party’s “white primary” was argued in front of the United States Supreme Court by Thurgood Marshall, in the case Smith vs. Allwright. Houston dentist, Dr. Lonnie Smith sued Harris County election official, S.S. Allwright for the right to vote in a Democratic primary election.The case argued the “white primaries” violated the 14th and…

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