Have you heard the news? In partnership with Overland Partners, the San Antonio African American Cultural Archive and Museum (SAAACAM — pronounced SAY-CAM) is getting a new location. This history and cultural museum is reclaiming San Antonio’s Black history by encouraging community members to get involved and share their own stories and perspectives.
What is SAAACAM?
Since 2017, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization — lead by Executive Director Deborah Omowale Jarmon — collects, preserves, and shares the cultural heritage of African Americans in the San Antonio region through a community-based digital archive.
Current initiatives include:
- Ongoing community programming
- Exhibits at the San Antonio International Airport
- Black History Riverwalk Tours
- A digital archive in partnership with Texas A&M San Antonio’s Library System
You can visit the museum in La Villita (218 S. Presa St.) Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Have a late night history craving? Check out the community digital archive that’s available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Cultural Center coming soon
On Juneteenth of this year, Overland Partners released renderings of SAAACAM’s new cultural center coming to downtown San Antonio.
So where’s the cultural center going? It would occupy the upper stories of both the Kress and Grant buildings. Here’s what we know:
- Entrance inside the Grant Building with a two-story entry hall, cafe, and gift shop
- Auditorium on the lower floor for performances
- 40,000-sqft space for exhibits, a research library, offices, lecture hall, and a rooftop terrace at the Grant building
Currently, there is not an opening date (that we know of) for the center as the museum continues to work on funding for the space. Stay tuned for updates.
