History of St. Philip’S Episcopal Church

History of St. Philip’S Episcopal Church
Author: Milbrew Davis
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2013-04-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1481719459

Dr. Milbrew Davis wrote the first history of St. Philips Church, San Antonio, Texas, 1895-1985. He researched extensively St. Philips Church documents and documents in the archives of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. He knew personally a number of the first members and clergy of the church and had the opportunity to interview them. Dr. Davis affinity to this church is derived from his membership in St. Philips Church for over 50 years; having served in several capacities as a lay minister and officer, and later as the rector for 20 years. Dr. Davis has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, Master of Social Work degree, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees. He organized and directed a Social Service Department that encompassed five hospitals; organized and directed a Foster Grandparent Program in San Antonio, Texas, a War on Poverty Program and the first of its kind in the United States. Dr. Davis resides in San Antonio, Texas. He is married to Shirley Davis and they are parents of a son, two daughters and two granddaughters.

St. Philip's College

St. Philip's College
Author: Marie Pannell Thurston
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2013-01-06
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1623490014

In 1898, St. Philip’s Normal and Industrial School opened its doors in San Antonio, offering sewing classes for black girls. It was the inaugural effort in a program, founded by the West Texas diocese of the Episcopal Church, to educate and train former slaves and other African Americans in that city. Originally tied to St. Philip’s Church, about three miles east of the downtown center, the school grew to offer high school and then junior college courses and eventually affiliated with the San Antonio Independent School District and San Antonio College. One of the few remaining historically black junior colleges in the country, St. Philip’s, whose student body is no longer predominantly black, has also been designated a Hispanic-serving institution, one of few schools to bear both designations. Known by many as “the school that love built,” St. Philip’s College claimed in its 1932 catalog, “There is perhaps as much romance surrounding the development of St. Philip’s Junior College as there is of the ‘Alamo City’ in which it is located.” That love story, also containing dominant strains of sacrifice, scarcity, creativity, determination, and pride, finds its full expression in this history by Marie Pannell Thurston. Based on archival research and extensive interviews with current and former alumni, faculty, and friends, St. Philip’s College presents the heartwarming and inspiring record of a school, the community that nurtures it, and the collective pride in what the institution and its graduates have accomplished.

African Americans and Race Relations in San Antonio, Texas, 1867-1937

African Americans and Race Relations in San Antonio, Texas, 1867-1937
Author: Kenneth Mason
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 350
Release: 1998
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780815330769

This is a study of how paternal race relations in San Antonio contributed to the rise of accommodation-minded African American leaders whose successful manipulation of the political and ethnic divisions provided goods, services and sustained voting rights during a period when African Americans throughout the South had lost such privileges. The unique demography of Mexican-, German-, Anglo- and African Americans; a service based economy of hotels, restaurants and saloons; and campaigns by white civic leaders to make San Antonio the premier commercial and vacation center of the Southwest nurtured a political machine that intended "to keep blacks in their place". This resulted in an assortment of Jim Crow laws; restrictive employment opportunities; and segregated schools, parks, and municipal services; albeit without mob lynching and racial violence.This paternal brand of racism resulted in the rise of one of the most powerful black political bosses of his time, Charles Bellinger. Challenges fromconservative white reformers and disgruntled black civil rights advocates failed to dislodge the hold Bellinger's machine had on the black community and the city, until the Great Depression. By examining employment, education, politics, and socio-cultural activities that contributed to the city's unique race relations; the study takes a hard look at whether "separate but equal" ever become a reality in San Antonio.

Tejano Religion and Ethnicity

Tejano Religion and Ethnicity
Author: Timothy M. Matovina
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2014-02-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 0292761597

While the flags of Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the United States successively flew over San Antonio, its Tejano community (Texans of Spanish or Mexican descent) formed a distinct ethnic identity that persisted despite rapid social and cultural changes. In this pioneering study, Timothy Matovina explores the central role of Tejano Catholicism in forging this unique identity and in binding the community together. The first book-length treatment of the historical role of religion in a Mexican-origin community in the United States, this study covers three distinct periods in the emergence of Tejano religious and ethnic identity: the Mexican period (1821-1836), the Texas Republic (1836-1845), and the first decade and a half after annexation into the United States (1845-1860). Matovina's research demonstrates how theories of unilateral assimilation are inadequate for understanding the Tejano community, especially in comparison with the experiences of European immigrants to the United States. As residents of the southwestern United States continue to sort out the legacy of U.S. territorial expansion in the nineteenth century, studies like this one offer crucial understanding of the survival and resilience of Latino cultures in the United States. Tejano Religion and Ethnicity will be of interest to a broad popular and scholarly audience.