Emma Tenayuca Westside History Symposium

News release from the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center:

The Third Annual Emma Tenayuca Symposium will be held on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the historic Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St. and will commemorate the Alazán Apache Courts located on the Westside of San Antonio. The symposium will go from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Each year the symposium highlights important aspects of the history, people and culture of the historic Westside of San Antonio. This year, the focus will be on the Alázan-Apache Courts.

The Alazán-Apache Courts were built in 1939-40 as the first public housing community in San Antonio and among the very first in the U.S. As one of the most successful publicly funded housing neighborhoods in the country, the Alazán-Apache Courts has provided safe and affordable housing for thousands of San Antonians. Many of San Antonio’s leaders, artists, writers, and social justice activists grew up in or near the Alazán-Apache Courts. Most recently, community organizing in San Antonio has persuaded local, state, and national leaders to preserve the Courts as public housing for very low-income residents. This successful effort provides an important victory in the nationwide effort to preserve public housing that has for too long been neglected by the federal and state governments.

The symposium includes a full day of panel discussions, historic preservation resources, and a procession to unveil new “fotohistorias” banners at the Alazán Apache Courts.

This event is FREE and open to the public! Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

*LIVE STREAMING will be provided for those who cannot attend the symposium in person*

Please see the preliminary schedule and panel descriptions below:

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Breakfast and registration
9:00 AM - 9:05 AM Welcome Remarks

9:05 AM - 10:25 AM Panel 1: History of Alazan Apache Courts and housing in the Westside
Moderator: Gilberto Hinojosa
Speakers: Kathryn O’Rourke, Sarah Gould, Woody Sanders
10:30 AM - 11:50 AM Panel 2: Discourse on public housing and red-lining Moderator: Lindsey Wieck Speakers: Fred McGhee, Christine Drennon, Madelyn Mendoza
11:50 AM - 12:30 PM Lunch

12:45 PM - 2:05 PM Panel 3: People’s lived experiences at los courts - panel of experiences and histories
Moderator: Kayla Miranda Speakers: Gloria Rodriguez, Robert Winterode, Pearl Antu, Athny Perez

2:10 PM - 3:30 PM Panel 4: History and Futures of Preservation at los courts: Imagining [that] Preservation [is possible] Moderator: Claudia Guerra Speakers: Graciela Sanchez, Ed Hinojosa, Teri Castillo
3:30 PM - 3:40 PM Call to Action Remarks

3:40 PM - 4:00 PM Procession to hang historical banners of Alazan-Apache Court residents at Alazán Courts on Brazos St.

Advance registration for this free event is at http://emma2022.EventBrite.com or by calling 210-228-0201. The symposium will also be live streamed on Facebook and YouTube for all to enjoy.