Current Initiatives

“The Black church has long been a sacred foundation—spiritually, culturally, and historically—for African American communities. Through our Rooted and Grounded initiative, SAAACAM honors and preserves this powerful legacy through research, storytelling, and community engagement.

This initiative supports research, oral histories, pop-up exhibits, classroom guides (currently in development), and the San Antonio Gospel Heritage Choir. In 2024, our gospel music pop-up exhibit was loaned to community partners for six weeks, spotlighting local gospel pioneers like Oscar Ford Jr., who was honored by True Vision Church for his musical contributions. The Gospel Heritage Choir, a cornerstone of this initiative, has uplifted audiences across the city—from a dynamic collaboration with the Classical Music Institute and the Houston Gospel All Stars at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, a sacred performance at the historic San Fernando Cathedral to joyful performances at the Holidays on Houston Street festival. Each appearance reinforces the enduring relevance of gospel music as a vessel for faith, joy, and cultural memory.

Equally vital to this initiative is the Church History Harvest program, which has received overwhelming support. The program has reaped multiple harvests—each one a deep, respectful exploration of sacred community history. Participating congregations include St. Paul United Methodist Church, New Light Baptist Church, Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Conqueror’s Assembly Church, and Antioch Baptist Church—some of the oldest and most historically significant Black churches in San Antonio.

Our team visits the congregations multiple times, meeting with pastors, administrative leaders, and attending worship services to build trust and fellowship. On harvest days, we conduct oral history interviews, scan archival materials onsite, and engage in rich dialogue with congregants. Each church receives a customized preservation brochure and a digital and physical exhibit reflecting their history—tools for honoring their past and stewarding it into the future.

The Rooted and Grounded initiative is a living testament to the role of the Black church as a sacred foundation—uplifting, guiding, and grounding generations through faith, fellowship, and resilience.”

The PRESERVING LEGACIES program is a comprehensive, multi-faceted program designed to spark curiosity and wonder in 7th through 12th grade students as it relates to their culture, providing higher education opportunities that lead to employment in the education, preservation or museum field.

History is often told through a lens of colonist America inherently excluding children of color, specifically Black children. If African descendants are not intricately included in the narratives of the country, their connection to  American history is non-existent. This is evident in the State of Texas  Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) 2023 results for Grade 8  Social Studies. Only 60% of African American students performed at  grade level in U.S. History. In fact, African American students had the  lowest performance rate in the state.

Five museums in the area that responded to our employee census  request, 111 persons are employed and 6 of the 111 are African American/ Black. Our local school districts are in desperate need of African American  teachers in all areas. The PRESERVING LEGACIES program will encourage African American students to consider employment opportunities in history, preservation, library science and education.

Our goal with PRESERVING LEGACIES is to change those statistics and have a lasting effect to collect, preserve and share the African American cultural heritage.

Currently, SAAACAM engages students by its monthly story time in the  park, school break history camps, writing workshops and the family film series. A secondary curriculum guide, a resource guide and pop-up  exhibits are available to educators. These offerings are at no-charge to the  public but are dependent on donations and volunteers. SAAACAM does not have an education department. PRESERVING LEGACIES will expose youth to American history through an African American lens with a multi-tiered approach.

Leveraging the classroom connections at local schools, SAAACAM will recruit students to participate in a “Junior Preservationists” program. The preservationists will meet twice monthly. PRESERVING LEGACIES will create a Junior Historian chapter of the Texas State Historical Association. The preservationists will discover the importance of  knowing complete narratives and uncover evidence of buried history.

At the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM), we recognize the pressing need to address the challenges facing the authentic teaching of African American history in today’s educational landscape.Recent developments, such as the removal of race- and gender-related books from school libraries and curricula, have sparked national debates and legal actions, highlighting the ongoing struggle to provide comprehensive and inclusive education. ​

In response to these challenges, SAAACAM remains steadfast in its mission to collect, preserve, and share the history and cultural heritage of African descendants in San Antonio and the Southwest. Our commitment extends to supporting educators in delivering accurate and engaging African American history instruction, even amid policy shifts that may limit such content.​

By providing access to authentic narratives, primary sources, and culturally responsive teaching materials, we aim to empower educators to provoke critical thinking and a deeper understanding of African American contributions and experiences. Through our resources and programs, SAAACAM seeks to bridge the gap between historical truth and classroom instruction, ensuring that students receive a well-rounded and truthful education.​

We invite educators to collaborate with us in this endeavor, utilizing SAAACAM’s offerings to enrich their curricula and inspire meaningful discussions about African American history and culture. Together, we can work towards an educational environment that honors diversity, promotes equity, and cultivates informed and empathetic citizens.

SAAACAM is all about community involvement, and that extends to students! As future leaders of the community, students have the option to engage in a variety of opportunities at SAAACAM to further enrich their knowledge, gain hands-on experience, and receive mentoring from cultural heritage professionals to broaden their horizons.

Students can get involved with SAAACAM through internships for course credit or simply to gain practical experience. Internships are available year-round based upon the capacity of a department to host a student. Potential internship opportunities include but are not limited to:

Unfortunately at this time paid internship opportunities are unavailable, but students are encouraged to connect with their campus resources to determine if stipends are available.

Interested in learning more? Connect with a member of the SAAACAM department of your interest to discuss internship opportunities and processes.

We’re looking forward to working with you!

Video reel from the Windows of Resilience Unveiling, March 25, 2025.

Windows of Resilience stands as a tribute to the strength, creativity, and perseverance of the African American community, particularly in San Antonio. The exhibit, displayed at the future home of the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, invites viewers to explore powerful narratives of resistance, growth, and communal spirit.

Each piece within the exhibition reflects a critical theme: transformation, citizenship, persistence, and healing. These themes are woven into the fabric of African American history, as artists use their work to reclaim narratives, challenge societal expectations, and envision a future rooted in unity and strength. The vibrant artwork on display not only highlights individual resilience but also celebrates the collective power of a community that has, and continues to, forge paths toward justice, healing, and recognition.

As we look to the future of SAAACAM’s mission, this exhibition is both a window into the space we are creating and a deeper connection to the legacies we preserve. The Windows of Resilience is a call to reflection and action- inviting all who engage with it to understand the value of history, embrace the power of art, and be inspired by the unbreakable spirit of those who have come before us.

The Culinary Collective was established to highlight the cultural food heritage of San Antonio Chefs of Color. The vision is to create a space where African American chefs can operate as cultural storytellers, entrepreneurs, and educators, not just cooks. Within the SAAACAM Culinary Collective, chefs will have the opportunity to test concepts, showcase heritage cuisine, and engage the community through food, all while building their brand in a supportive, high-visibility environment. This will be a launchpad for new ideas, a stage for legacy and a home for culinary excellence rooted in culture.

At the heart of SAAACAM’s research department are our Community Historians–people who have lived history, studied history, or are making history! Together we are developing 15 exhibits for SAAACAM’s new home at the Kress-Grant buildings. This project is a true labor of love and a reflection of community pride and resilience. We strive to be a template for other communities to start their own museums and archives.

Okan” from the West African Yoruba tradition means “heart” or “soul”.

Additionally, we have an incredible lineup of support from many local institutions, who are also dedicated to preserving and sharing history in the San Antonio region. Such organizations include the American Indians of Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions (AITSCM) who help tell fuller stories of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and other indigenous communities of the South Texas and Northern Mexico area. SAAACAM has also partnered with the Daughters of the Confederacy-San Antonio Chapter and the Confederate Cemetery Association to learn about connections between Black history and Confederate history–proving that it is possible to have conversations about complicated histories.

Every week SAAACAM learns something new about Black history in our area. We are very grateful for the outpouring of hospitality from historic preservationists in Wilson County. Community leaders from the Sutherland Springs Museum, Stockdale Museum, Wilson County Archives, Wilson County Jailhouse Museum, and the Polley Mansion have gone out of their way to share their knowledge of Black history, helping to enrich not just our exhibits, but our community as well.

Many stories about Black history in San Antonio remain hidden, but with the assistance of local students, we are uncovering more every semester. Undergraduate students at St. Mary’s University are leading the charge with research on enslaved individuals in Bexar County. Lovingly referred to as “history haters” by their professor Dr. Teresa Van Hoy, these students lose their disdain for history, instead becoming stewards of the stories they uncover, and advocates for truth-telling. SAAACAM has also been invited to engage with students at the middle and high school levels. Through the Democratizing Racial Justice initiative, the SAAACAM team led by Pesha Mabrie and Dakotah Brown were able to create a UTSA course researching local Green Book Sites. New classroom partnerships continue to sprout at the growing Texas A&M-San Antonio campus. SAAACAM has also hired numerous interns and recent graduates from Trinity University, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, UTSA, and St. Mary’s University. We are proud to invest in our local students!

There are many other partners like the Boerne Public Library, National Parks Service, Alamo Colleges District, local churches, and community organizations to name.

The SAAACAM community is truly special and unique. Folks from all walks of life help contribute to our research–highlighting that Black history is integral to not just San Antonio and Texas history, but also American history!