A Glimpse into San Antonio
Misha Ansari
1st Year MPH Health Behavior, Health Equity Student
“I have seen the generous side of San Antonio, it’s one of the most generous cities I have ever seen,” said one of our focus group participants at Ella Austin community center on the Eastside. During our week-long exploration of San Antonio, I was able to catch a glimpse of that side of the city that was spoken about.
Our exploration of San Antonio’s Eastside gave us the opportunity to encounter both wonderful people and sights of San Antonio. The Historically African American Eastside was abundant with culture and kindness. During our assessment mapping, we decided to visit the Carver Cultural Center to learn more about social resources within neighborhoods. We weren’t expecting the community center to be connected to a performing arts school, with a small courtyard flushed with greenery connecting the two buildings with stone paths. We tracked our way into what we believed to be the community center’s entrance. Opening the heavy door, we were astonished to glimpse the beautiful theater and box office built inside. The attendant at the front sprang up immediately to give us a comprehensive and enthusiastic tour. He highlighted the engraving at the front of the door - showcasing this location as the first theater in San Antonio that permitted Black people inside, as well as describing the famous shows that had been held there. We even received a tour of the re-done dressing rooms and the dance studio upstairs. His kindness and passion about the Carver Cultural Center were palpable throughout the tour and created an experience that enriched our assessment and understanding of the Eastside.
Through our continued interactions with the older adult community in San Antonio, I felt their generosity through so much of the kindness that was gratuitously presented to us - in the form of gifts, advice, accommodation and in many other subtle ways. Our experience at Ella Austin, both during the focus groups and survey collection, was especially constructive in getting to know the aging community on the Eastside and gaining an understanding of their needs and barriers.
My worries before arriving in San Antonio, that we would find it difficult to connect with the community as outsiders, were unfounded after spending time within the community and their generosity. As a graduate student in public health, my training in the classroom has highlighted the role of community in research and designing interventions. Through this experience with PHAST, I felt that we were able to enact those teachings within a small timeframe, prioritizing and centering the community as a way to model their generosity and commitment in our own efforts
