SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, or SAAACAM, is working to preserve the local Black culture. It's getting a little help from experts in Washington, D.C.

“We have a challenge to preserve local histories wherever we go,” said Dr. Doretha Williams with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

Representatives from Smithsonian traveled from the nation’s capital to the Lone Star State.

“What does community curation look like in San Antonio?” Dr. Williams questioned.

Williams is the director of the Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History. They’re partnering with families to preserve Black history in San Antonio and share it globally.

“We really specialize in digital preservation,” Williams said. “Because a lot of the material that’s holding that history is deteriorating. We are coming up of the timeline for VHS, for cassette, for film.”

By 2026, the San Antonio African American Archive and Museum will be the largest Black history museum in Texas. This community discussion is just the start of a multi-year project. SAAACAM was selected because they’re already doing the work.

“Collect, preserve and share the African American cultural heritage of the San Antonio region,” said SAAACAM’s CEO and director, Deborah Omowale-Jarmon.

Community curation has already been done in other cities, including Denver, Nashville and New Orleans. SAAACAM’s director, Deborah Omowale-Jarmon, says they wanted a diverse group to learn more about this process.

“Church leaders in there, we have educators,” Omowale-Jarmon said. “We have history buffs. So, it’s a really good cross section of the community.”

The Smithsonian will bring the museums’ digitization services to San Antonio to bridge the digital divide that exists across generations. Dr. Williams says they aren’t in San Antonio to exploit any historical narratives. The service they provide is meant to support ongoing preservation efforts.

“The work we do here stays here, but we elevate it at the museum,” Dr. Williams said.

This project is another a way to share these stories beyond state lines. 

“So many people think there’s no Black people in San Antonio,” Dr. Williams said. “But the African American story here in San Antonio is rich. It’s deep.”