Life After Emancipation in the San Antonio Region

Photo: Women laundress at the San Antonio River, circa 1870 courtesy of the Institute of Texan Cultures

The Historical Society of Helotes presents our historian, Cristal Mendez for a presentation exploring African Americans in San Antonio and surrounding rural areas in the years immediately following emancipation. Formerly enslaved individuals found that freedom came with new challenges involving unfair city ordinances that kept them from advancing. Still, there were opportunities for civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and communities to flourish. Learn how their legacies have left a lasting impact on San Antonio.