NEWS

SAN ANTONIO – If you want to learn more about housing in town tomorrow, Jan.26. is a perfect opportunity.

City leaders are hosting a free affordable housing event at Sam Houston High School with talks about affordable housing programs and resources available to you.

This Dreamweek event will also provide free breakfast tacos, host a resource fair with more than 45 organizations, offer youth activities led by the San Antonio Public Library, and provide free produce bags for the first 150 attendees from the San Antonio food bank.

SAN ANTONIO — According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, gun violence is now the No. 1 cause of death of kids in the United States. Local organizers are calling for change.

“You would think the world would be in an uproar about kids dying,” said Bennie Price.

As a part of San Antonio’s Dreamweek, the city-wide summit to ignite change, Price, the founder of Big Mama’s Safe House, wanted to address gun violence.

“I remember when dying was an old man’s sport, not anymore,” said youth gang expert Lloyd Patterson-Cantero.

They’re having candid conversations about guns impact on Black and Brown communities.

“The only thing there is drugs, violence, gangs — and that’s what they are attracted to,” said Hubert Brown, owner of Ball Hoggs BBQ.

Families of gun violence victims are crying out for more investments in troubled neighborhoods.

“That’s money we can put into the community, the families,” said Terrie Dixon, who’s related to gun violence victims. “To help parents understand how to better raise their children so you can stop it at this age. Because once they get a certain age, it’s no stopping it.”

Advocates want to help kids understand that gangs and guns aren’t the answer.

“We got to do better at teaching our children that violence does not work,” Patterson-Cantero said.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, last year more than 43,000 people were killed across the country. That includes more than 1,500 kids.

“Firearm-related death and disability is, from my point of view as a trauma surgeon, the greatest pandemic of our children and young adults,” said Dr. Ronald Stewart, who’s worked in hospitals over 30 years.

Dr. Ronald Stewart says over the years, seeing gun violence victims has become a daily occurrence. He says we all need to work together to give youth hope for their futures.

“It’s going to take investments into the community and into the people who know exactly what the change that is needed is,” said Christina Delgado with the Community Justice Action Fund.

In 2022, Price shared with us how he witnessed gun violence growing up on San Antonio’s Eastside during the crack cocaine era.

“I grew up just a few blocks from here, called the Wheatley courts housing projects,” Price said.

As a teen, pulling the trigger landed him in prison for 20 years.

“It corrupted my young mind at an early age,” Price said. “And before I could really make an adult decision, I was sitting in prison thinking I would never get out.”

Price got out in 2016 with a desire to change his community. Starting the nonprofit Big Mama’s Safe House, committing to end senseless gang and gun violence.

“We’re trying to reach the people before they get those guns,” Price said. “Because after they get to those guns, it’s kind of hard to take them from them.”

Price says he’ll continue working to stop shootings in our community as a violence interrupter. Showing kids there is another way.

“We should be living the dream,” Price said. “We should have the opportunity to have a safe community.”

WE WERE CHILDREN TOO – STORIES OF POUR CHILDHOOD TOLD BY TRANS ADULTS

This DreamWeek, listen to Trans Adults as they tell stories of their childhood, both the good and the bad. This conversation will also allow them to share how they coped, survived, and thrived in adulthood.

This event will be moderated by Kimiya Factory, founder of Black Freedom Factory. Panelists include Leo Castillo (community advocate), Joan Simoncelli (comedienne and advocate), Lyn-Z (performer and advocate), Rain Garcia (founder of Unfiltered Wings and HIV advocate), and Jaycee Clark (artist and advocate).

When: Friday, January 19, 2024, 6 pm
Where: ​​Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, 922 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212
How much: Free

SAN ANTONIO — For over 50 years, Tommy “TC” Calvert Sr. has been an activist in his community of San Antonio and beyond.

“San Antonio is my home,” said Calvert Sr. “It’s my roots. It’s where I grew up.”

He says his activism all started in the 1960s when he went to a restaurant and got his first taste of racism. Calvert Sr. attempted to order lunch but was turned away.

“She said, ‘Little n***** boy. We don’t serve Blacks in here,’” he said. “I was so hurt. I was about 7 years old, so I experienced that at a very young age.”

Calvert Sr. says his calling was ignited that day. As a teen, he helped to organize Black student unions at colleges across Texas. Today, Calvert Sr. in the president of a nationwide nonprofit, the Neighborhoods First Alliance.

“We’re responsible for over $400-500 million worth of street and drainage projects throughout the city,” said Calvert Sr. “Primarily on the East, South and West Side.”

But his work goes beyond local projects.

“That was in 1984 when he first ran. I was Jesse Jackson’s South Texas campaign coordinator,” Calvert Sr. said.

Calvert Sr. said he is proud to make an impact both locally and across the nation. He helped with the federal Community Reinvestment Act, which passed Congress in 1977. The act encouraged banks to make loans to all borrowers, including low-income, minority neighborhoods.

As a part of San Antonio’s DreamWeek 2024, Calvert Sr. is being honored at the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum’s (SAAACAM) Legacy Awards Ball.

“A lot of deep history in San Antonio,” said Calvert Sr. “I stand on the shoulders of many people who come before me. G.J. Sutton, Rev. Claude Black, the list goes on and on.”

The ball is SAAACAM’s inaugural fundraiser to help with their renovations on the newly acquired Kress Building, located just two blocks away from the Alamo in downtown San Antonio. The group hopes to revamp the building, which is estimated to be a $35 million project, and open the largest Black history museum in Texas.

“They are going to be telling the story that doesn’t get told,” said Calvert Sr. “A lot of famous African Americans and Hispanics have done great things and been trailblazers in the city.”

Calvert Sr. has laid the groundwork. Now, his legacy continues through his son, Tommy Calvert Jr., who was elected as the first Black county commissioner in Bexar County.

“I just tell him, Tommy, never forget where you come from,” said Calvert Sr. “And always be the voice for those who don’t have a voice. Because you’re very privileged to be in that position.”

DreamWeek San Antonio comprises over 200 events that started Jan. 12 and finish Jan. 28. The mission of the summit is to “celebrate our humanity by creating environments for civil and civic engagement to embrace ideas and dreams for the common good,” according to its website.

Today there was a 1-million push-up challenge!

There was music, food, and free community workout — including the 1 million push-up challenge.

It is in an effort to promote the importance of health and wellness.

This is just one of the 265 events going on in the next 17-days around San Antonio.

Dreamweek San Antonio is among the largest community curated event nationwide celebrating tolerance and diversity.

Broadway in San Antonio’s TINA – The Tina Turner Musical tells the story of a young girl who grew up in a farming community in rural Tennessee and rose to international fame as the “Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll.”

The musical opens Jan. 16 at the Majestic Theatre and runs through Jan. 21, coinciding with DreamWeek and offering an opportunity to consider how a powerful Black woman’s stardom has inspired and influenced others to push hard toward their dreams.

“Her struggle in the music industry, the domestic violence, [as an] African American female, her whole story is an inspiration,” said Renee Watson, who chaired the San Antonio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission in 2021 and 2022 and was the first female chair of the commission’s March Committee.

“Because what [Martin Luther King Jr.] dreamed about is self-sufficiency, education and learning, getting out there, the world supporting you, to have multicultural communities supporting you. And her life is a prime example of that.”

Strength and resilience

Turner began life as Anna Mae Bullock picking cotton in Nutbush, a rural Tennessee farming community so small it doesn’t rate as a town. She later married musician Ike Turner, who renamed her Tina, positioning her as the vocalist for his powerful rock ’n’ roll ensemble. But his physical and emotional abuse at home and overworking her onstage frayed their personal and professional relationship.

Her opening verse lyrics to “Nutbush City Limits,” the 1973 song she wrote to signal independencefrom her abusive husband, succinctly describe the scene:

A church house, gin house
Schoolhouse, outhouse
On highway number nineteen
The people keep the city clean

Broadway actress Roz White plays Turner’s mother, Zelma Bullock, in TINA. In a videoconference interview during rehearsals in Austin, White marveled at how Turner, having endured such hardship, could even imagine creating a better future for herself.

The founder of the summit joins us in studio to speak about the event.

SAN ANTONIO – Dreamweek San Antonio has officially kicked off Friday with its opening ceremony breakfast.

This tips off about 265 events in the next 17 days around the city.