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In 1932, workers of the Finck Cigar Company chose to strike after their cries for better working conditions, shorter hours, better pay & affordable healthcare were not met or even addressed. Local Civil Rights leader/labor activist Emma Tenayuca joined the picket lines at the age of 16 & was subsequently arrested. Leave a Comment
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Just 50 miles from San Antonio , the small town of Fredericksburg was once another world. Unlike San Antonio's Spanish beginnings, Fredericksburg was founded by Germans in 1846. Mostly liberal, educated Prussians, the settlers were granted land for a farm and a small holding in the town.
In the beginning a single church, known as the Vereins's Kirche - the Society Church - served all the different groups of the community - even the Catholics- each taking their turn for their services. As the settlement prospered, the different denomination built their own church and the Verein's Kirche eventually fell into disrepair and was demolished in the 1930s. Now rebuilt, the church is both a distinctive landmark in the town and an interesting little museum.
Vereins Kirche Museum
Centre of Marktplatz in the 100 block of W. Main
Open: Monday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm, Sunday 1 - 4 pm
The Pioneer Museum, just a couple of blocks further down Main Street, tells of the lives of those pioneers. Housed in a lovingly restored collection of original buildings from the town and the surrounding district - farmhouses, a Sunday house, a schoolhouse, a barn, a store, etc, all set in several acres of gardens planted with native and historically accurate plants and trees- it is a delight, full of domestic detail and charm. A short explanation of the museum is given as you enter, after that you are free to wander as you like.
Pioneer Museum
309 W. Main St.
Open Monday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday 1 - 5 pm Leave a Comment
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During the tumultuous years of the American Civil Rights era (roughly 1955 – 1968), the African – American populace of the City of San Antonio were not allowed to swim in any of the city’s public pools, eat in many of its restaurants, or shop in any of its most popular stores.
One establishment in particular, the Handy Andy Grocery Store, refused to hire African Americans as cashiers at any of its locations inside the city.
In the early 1960s, Mr. Charles Hudspeth, a local civil rights leader who was employed by the San Antonio Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Reverend Claude William Black Jr., a civil rights activist and head of the Mt. Zion First Baptist Church, organized a picket line around numerous Handy Andy grocery store locations.
While demonstrating at one such location, Mr. Hudspeth was accosted by an unknown Caucasian male. Brandishing a firearm, the unknown person threatened to kill Hudspeth.
Their tactics worked, as Handy Andy eventually reversed their discriminatory practices and began hiring African Americans as cashiers. Leave a Comment
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On August 25th, 1939, Civil Rights leader Emma Tenayuca was scheduled to speak at a small meeting of the Communist Party at the Municipal Auditorium, which had been legally authorized by the mayor of San Antonio, Maury Maverick. As Emma tried to hold the meeting, an estimated 5,000 people stormed the auditorium, hunting Communists. Men, bricks, and rocks were trucked in for the attack, and several people were hurt, including police, firefighters, and reporters. Even though the police managed to get Emma to safety, she was hounded for years by death threats. The Klu Klux Klan even made an attempt to kill Mayor Maverick & his family the night of the riot, but were unable to do so as the Mavericks laid hidden in the fields surrounding their home. Leave a Comment
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On January 31, 1938, over 12,000 pecan shellers in San Antonio, Texas (the pecan capital of the United States at the time), walked off their jobs. The strikers-comprised mostly of Mexican-American women-became enraged over a pay cut. At the time, wages for shellers were six or seven cents a pound (six cents for pieces & seven cents for halves). Theses wages were refused to five & six cents a pound.
City officials strongly opposed the strike, &, as a result, over 700 strikers were arrested. The chief of police, Owen Kilday, blamed the strike on a communist plot to obtain control of San Antonio’s west side. Police served as agents of the "Pecan King" in soliciting "scabs" with which to break the strike. Workers were promised immunity from arrest if they would quit the union. Non-strikers were arrested for protesting against the brutal treatment of strikers. Citizens of the United States were threatened with deportation to Mexico if they did not stop their union activities. Due to the amount of arrests made during the strike, the plight of the workers received national & international attention.
The young charismatic leader, Emma Tenayuca, helped organize the walkout that would eventually win wage increases for the shellers. Her actions, however, would eventually be the cause of Emma’s flight from San Antonio. Leave a Comment
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Overall, Texas did not experience the highly publicized civil unrest that occurred in the U.S. before & during the 1960’s. Even though there were elaborate campaigns of de facto segregation in place, hundreds of incidents of racially motivated violence, & the mass mobilization of the KKK in East Texas, hardly any attention was given to the plight of African-Americans in Texas. Even more astonishing, the racially stemmed hardships of Mexican-Americans received even less.
Even though the problems in Texas were not highly televised like in other parts of the U.S. does not mean that Texas was immune to racism & the social change that transpired in the 1960’s. I think the reason why Texas did not receive any national attention was because there were two movements-one for the advancement of African-Americans & other for the advancement of Mexican-Americans. There were attempts to unify the two struggles, all of which failed. Furthermore, the fights were to change only the status quo in certain cities-like San Antonio-& failed to integrate with the much larger national movement. Here on the footsteps of San Antonio’s City Hall many demonstrations & protests against inequality, disparity, & blatant racism occurred. Perhaps the most notable was the Emma Tenayuca led rally against worker injustices which occurred some time in the 1930s.
On April 27, 1939, members of the WPA (Workers Progress Administration) staged a "sit-down" strike at City Hall, protesting the city's refusal to grant a permit to parade. Leave a Comment
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From San Antonio, it is only a couple of hours drive southward, to Corpus Christi, on the Gulf Coast, or to Laredo, on the Mexican border... Or you can head northward through the German community of New Braunfels, into the hill country, and on to the old German community of Fredricksburg. You can also visit Luckenbach, Texas, that tiny town made famous by country music stars Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.
http://www.sanantoniovisit.com/ Leave a Comment
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Brackenridge Park was first established in 1899 and sits alongside the scenic San Antonio River. Not only are there picnic areas, but the San Antonio Zoo, Japanese Tea Gardens and a beloved children's train are contained within its 343 acres. The Witte Museum sits on a portion of it, as well.
The San Antonio Zoo is said to be one of the best zoos in the United States. It comprises 56 acres and is home to endangered whooping cranes.
The Japanese Tea gardens offer koi, quiet walkways and lovely bridges. The gardens were created by prisoners and townspeople donated plants for this purpose. Archeologists have suggested that this site has been occupied by people for over 11,000 years.
The miniature train travels over 3 miles of track throughout the park and is a popular ride for children visiting Brackenridge Park.
George W. Brackenridge of Austin donated land for the park. He had moved to San Antonio in 1866 and along with his mother, purchased property along the river. Mr. Brackenridge developed a system of waterworks which supplied San Antonio.
The Witte museum (1926) is located at one end of the park.
All in all, it seems that the residents of San Antonio have been given a wonderful treasure! Phone: 210-207-8590
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Founded in 1968, the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund, or MALDEF, was incorporated as the first national Chicano Civil Rights Organization. Its purpose is to promote & protect the civil rights of Mexican-Americans by engaging in class action litigation, community education, & leadership training.
The MALDEF administrators are friendly but extremely busy with their duties. They have a rather large library which contains the stories of all of their battles. They are more than happy to speak to the public about their organization, mission, & past victories; however, such requests should be done by appointment.
The building, located at 110 Broadway Street (MALDEF is suite 300), is a registered with the San Antonio historical commission.
MALDEF first opened its doors in San Antonio on 8/1/68, during an error when Hispanics were often the victims of racism. Leave a Comment
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Located at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center in San Antonio’s historic West Side, La Voz de Esperanza provides anyone with a forum to convey their thoughts & share information. Whether speaking about gay rights or the horrid conditions of the poor, La Voz de Esperanza provides a medium where the struggles of the oppressed are championed.
La Voz, as it is referred to in San Antonio, is a monthly periodical in which many ordinary citizens express their frustration with politics, the economy, the war in Iraq, & numerous other topics. One does not have to be a resident of San Antonio in order to contribute. Leave a Comment
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