
History & Storytelling
Community Committee #1
Date: May 19th
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: UTSA Westside Community Center
Number of Attendees: 14

The first community committee meeting began with quick introductions and a presentation from Able City that described the Alazan Courts Master Plan process and explained how the community members on the committee can engage in the design and decision making.
After taking questions we moved on to our featured presentations by our guest speakers. Dr. Christine Drennon, professor of sociology and anthropology at Trinity University, shared the history of the Westside from the earliest settlements, explaining how the neighborhood patterns were impacted by immigration trends, local politics, land use policy and more. She shared stories about the important roles of housing advocate Father Tranchese, Eleanor Roosevelt.


Leticia Vela
Leticia Vela, former resident and author of “Los Courts”, shared her family’s history of being one of the first tenants of Alazan Courts and the impact that safe and secure housing had on her family.
Dr. Christine Drennon
Our third guest speaker, Graciela Sanchez, Director of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, was unfortunately unable to participate due to illness.
Food and kids’ activities were provided.
