By Adolfo Pesquera On the same day it agreed to hear arguments in the Hays Street Bridge Restoration Group’s lawsuit against the City of San Antonio, the Supreme Court of Texas ruled against another Texas city in a case with significant similarities.

In a victory for the Hays Street Bridge Restoration Group and its recently deceased founder, Doug Steadman, the Historic and Design Review Commission on March 9 rejected a developer’s proposal to erect a 72-foot-tall apartment building next to the 58-foot-tall Hays Street Bridge. (click here to watch video of the entire meeting or click on any quote below to jump straight to that spot in the video.)

The San Antonio Neighborhood Improvements Bond Committee voted Thursday, Dec. 8, to recommend 13 distressed areas for inclusion in what would be the city's first affordable housing bond project. The recommendations are part of a five-category, $850 million total bond issue the city plans to put before voters May 6.

Marco Carmona and his wife Judy have been only to happy to have his front yard be a makeshift bicycle repair station for children in his near East Side neighborhood near the Alamodome. He did not intend for it to be this way. Things started as a beloved private collection of bikes that the Carmonas set up on their property. They also had bikes crafted to accommodate family members who have special needs or who are disabled.

The Martinez Street Women’s Center, the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, and the San Anto Cultural Arts (SACA) completed a mural depicting and honoring local African American women and their inspiring contributions and lives while living in the East Side of San Antonio. 

If you know anything about us here at NOWCastSA, then you know how much we love neighborhood stories. So when I heard about the opening for Eastside S.A.: The Future and Back, a community-based multimedia storytelling project, I wanted to talk to the people behind it.

A San Antonio program called Girl Zone is responding to turmoil in marginalized communities by empowering young girls. Girl Zone, a program of the Martinez Street Women’s Center, is located in San Antonio's East Side, an area largely inhabited by working-class Latino and Black families. It is an underserved part of the city, and Andrea Figueroa, the program director of Girl Zone, wants to make sure the young girls living in the area rise up to become amazing community leaders. Maribel Hermosillo: What is the Girl Zone empowerment program? Andrea Figueroa: Girl Zone is a year-round, out-of-school-time empowerment program for girls aged nine to 14 on the East and Southeast Sides of San Antonio. Our curriculum includes leadership, healthy relationships, service learning, STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math], arts and culture, comprehensive sex education, and environmental issues. Our entire curriculum is taught with cultural competence and within a social-justice framework. MH: What are some of the problems young girls face today? AF: Our students encounter many barriers. Ninety eight percent of the students we serve are considered economically disadvantaged, and many of them attend schools that are struggling to perform at acceptable levels. Like other girls their age, they face body image issues that stem from negative media stereotypes of women, as well as the patriarchal societal structure we live in. Many of our girls also face issues such as food insecurity, language barriers, access barriers, behavioral issues, and familial instability. MH: How does the program address issues that young women face in our communities, such as racism, homophobia, and sexism? AF: Our program is unique in that we educate with cultural competence and within a social justice framework. What does that mean? Well, we have intentional conversations about injustice, what it looks like, what it means for our communities. Then we try to imagine what justice for our communities would look like, and we intentionally create spaces that mirror what we have imagined. We teach that justice and change begins with us, and therefore, if we want a just world, we must first learn to honor one another, our differences, and our value. If we take those lessons to heart, then we can transform our communities from the inside out. It is also imperative that communities of color create media in the form of public art, storytelling, and print, so that the stories of our communities, by our communities, are shown to others and one another. In Girl Zone, we provide the girls with different avenues and mediums to express their feelings, their stories, and their hopes and dreams, while engaging their neighbors and friends in the process. That is how we build community and grow stronger as individuals. MH: How is Girl Zone engaging students in their community on the East Side of San Antonio? AF: As a community-based organization, we know that we are each other's best asset. Together, we have the power to facilitate positive change in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our city. Girl Zone teaches the girls that they have the ability, beyond their circumstances, to be leaders and change makers. It also teaches them they have a responsibility to give back to their community by becoming engaged in improving it. MH: What is Community Day and how did it impact the girls and their families? AF: Community Day is part of an annual service-learning project. The girls are asked to identify needs in their community, and then brainstorm ways in which they can help. This year, the girls chose responsible pet care, health and nutrition, food insecurity, and the environment. They also added a rally and altar for Trayvon Martin, because of his significance to our community of color. We guided the girls through planning, outreach, and implementation, and saw them gain skills that will last them a lifetime. Community Day itself is the end result. It is a day where the East Side community can come together for education, food, and fun. Organizations in attendance included the Roots of Change Farmers Market, Spay and Neuter Assistance Program, Martinez Street Women's Center, Neighborhoods First Alliance, San Antonio Immigrant Youth Movement, and others. Students made DIY dog toys, created seed bomb giveaways, managed the food stations, and created fun activities for kids. Free Zumba was also offered by Ms. Fiesta San Antonio, Victoria Flores, who was also a University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing middle school mentor. This year, we entered our service project into the Silver and Black Give Back #TeamUp2013 Challenge. We were chosen as one of 10 semifinalists, and received $1000 for our project. We are now in the running for $10,000 to continue our projects throughout the year. You can vote for our service project at teamupchallenge.com through August 12.

We need your help! NOWCastSA is collecting oral histories to honor the stories of  San Antonio's East Side.  Scroll down for a video with the history of what is now the Carver Cultural Center, and once was a library for African Americans when San Antonio's libraries were segregated. We need you to help us, either by being the guide or by agreeing to be the star of the show. Share your story or tell us who else to contact.

On Thursday, March 1, two major organizations operating on the East Side are announcing a marriage of resources and efforts that could forever change the neighborhood’s physical appearance, employment opportunities, and educational outcomes. Click here to watch Thursday's meeting.

The NOWCastSA team collected photos and stories from participants in San Antonio's Martin Luther King March today. We will be posting a story and slideshows shortlyOn Monday, Jan. 16, a diverse group of more than 200,000 people are expected to gather to celebrate the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The march is said to be one of the largest marches in the country and the city will welcome Dr. Martin Luther King's eldest son Martin Luther King, III and Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, as part of the celebration.