Westside Stories: A Virtual Platform to Showcase the Research of the Westside San Antonio Humanities Project

Westside Stories

A Virtual Platform to Showcase the Research of the Westside San Antonio Humanities Project

Amanda Hill and Student-Filmmakers

Abstract

The Westside Stories documentary filmmaking project was completed in Spring 2019 to fulfill the requirements for the undergraduate course, Media Production II. The students in this course creating documentary films about business owners and employees on San Antonio’s Westside. The upper division course included eight students, seven of whom completed a Westside Stories documentary.

The project intended to teach students the practical skills of creating short documentary films such as interviewing, sound and video recording, and audio-visual editing; work with community partners to create narratives; grow the connection between St. Mary’s University and the immediate Westside San Antonio community; and help students hone their ability to listen for and to diverse stories, and create an understanding of the value of vernacular, everyday stories, and the specific stories of the people within this community.

Student Filmmakers


Videos


Map

The map above can be understood by using the color key below. Click on the map above to see the location of the videos and select the following buttons to see the video.

IDENTITATEM <—>IDENTIDAD<—>IDENTITY: A Transformative Theatre Project Capturing the Spiritual and Cultural Realities of Youth and Young Adults in Holy Rosary Parish, San Antonio, Texas

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A Transformative Theatre Project Capturing the Spiritual and Cultural Realities of Youth and Young Adults in Holy Rosary Parish, San Antonio, Texas

Bernadette Hamilton-Brady and Jorge Martinez

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St. Mary’s University presents a transformative theatre project capturing the spiritual and cultural realities of youth and young adults in Holy Rosary Catholic Parish located in San Antonio, Texas, telling their stories through performance using all theatrical elements — props, lighting, projection, sound, costumes, scenic units, and text/story.

The project was created by St. Mary’s University students Jorge Martinez, Rachel Huron, Gabriella Rivera, McKayala Rodriguez, and Vanessa Wheatly. A portion of the proceeds from tickets benefited Holy Rosary Catholic Parish.

Watch the full performance below.

Professor Bernadette Hamilton-Brady and students conducted interviews and surveys to develop the theatrical project. The interviews and surveys captured stories from the Youth at Holy Rosary Parish. Professor Bernadette Hamilton-Brady also interviewed parishioner Jerry Martinez, who recounts his past experiences at Holy Rosary and offers guiding wisdom to the Youth. You can access the transcript of the interview below.

Holy-Rosary-Parish-Interview.Jerry-Martinez.3.4.2021

The Influential Leaders of San Antonio’s Westside

The Influential Leaders of San Antonio’s Westside

Joseph Gershtenson and Cynthia Rodríguez


This story map is part of St. Mary’s University’s Westside San Antonio Humanities Project. The project aims to uncover aspects of the Westside’s history and culture and share results with the public. This component is part of a collaborative research effort by Cynthia Rodriguez, a student (now having graduated) in St. Mary’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, and Dr. Joe Gershtenson, faculty member of the Department of Political Science and director of the MPA program. Credit for work on audio files, biographies, and mapping in ArcGIS also goes to Citlalli Rivera of St. Mary’s University.

In January and February 2021, Ms. Rodriguez interviewed seven individuals with roots in the Westside and/or currently serving the community. The aim was to examine the individuals as leaders with particular attention to the role of their experiences on the Westside. In addition to contributing to St. Mary’s University’s Westside San Antonio Humanities Project, Ms. Rodriguez completed an academic research paper as part of her studies in the MPA program. That paper can be accessed here.

Education Inequality in Westside San Antonio during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Lanier High School

Education Inequality in Westside San Antonio during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Case of Lanier High School

Claudia Donoso and Kathryn Klokker

Abstract

Education inequality in a pandemic affects low-income and middle/high-income neighborhoods differently. Drawing on the concept of intersectionality, we compare two high schools in San Antonio-Texas; one located in San Antonio ISD (Westside) and the other located North East ISD. These two schools were chosen by analyzing the data on the Texas Education Agency website 2019-2020 Special Population Reports. We found the percentage of economically disadvantaged students in each public, non-charter high school in Bexar County, and then chose the least economically disadvantaged (Regan High School, 12.16%) and the most economically disadvantaged (Lanier High School, 95.15%). In this study, we discuss the extent to which intersectional inequalities during the Covid-19 pandemic have widened the educational gap. Intersectionality explores how power-relations based on race, class, gender, sexuality, nation, ability, or ethnicity are interrelated, shaping one another. By conducting a comparative analysis, we examine data from the Texas Education Agency website, San Antonio Covid-19 website, news articles, financial data for each school (technology budget, property taxes/values), economic, and demographic data in order to address the issue of inequality furthered by the Covid-19 pandemic. We discuss the categories of class and ethnicity/race. We argue that the pandemic has increased the educational gap affecting the human security of disadvantaged students. We will provide recommendations to mitigate and prevent the educational gap.

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