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Juneteenth
Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, but what is its origin and why is it important that we all know this history?
Searching for periodicals in the catalog
Go to the UTSA Libraries home page, at lib.utsa.edu. Click on Databases.
Go to the Find By Format box on the right-hand side of the page. Click on Newspapers.
You can access different newspapers through these databases. Read the descriptions to see which databases contain which newspapers. Ask us in the Chat if you have questions!
Some Databases For Primary Sources For Your Research
- African American Communities (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new windowFocusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina, this resource presents multiple aspects of the African American community through pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records, reports and in-depth oral histories, revealing the prevalent challenges of racism, discrimination and integration, and a unique African American culture and identity.
- African American Historical Serials Collection (EBSCO) This link opens in a new windowThis collection of primary sources related to African American life and culture features 173 periodicals spanning from 1816 through 1922. It comprises newspapers and magazines, in addition to reports and annuals from various African American organizations, including churches and educational and service institutions.
- Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new windowContains major full-text reference resources on African American and African history and culture, including "Encyclopedia of African American History"; and the "African American National Biography", as well as articles from other major reference sources. Only a few people can use this database at one time.
- San Antonio Express (Historical) (NewsBank) This link opens in a new windowFull-image of Texas’ oldest major newspaper, which began as a weekly in 1865. Includes ads, classifieds, photos & graphics as well as local, national and international news stories. Collection is still being digitized with more issues forthcoming.
Current coverage: 1867-1875, 1898-1906, 1911-2018 - San Antonio Register This link opens in a new windowLocally focused, black-oriented weekly newspaper available full image 1931-2000 in the Portal of Texas History.
Legacy San Antonio Register Index (May 29, 1931 - 1959) online. - Texas County Histories (History Commons) This link opens in a new windowCounty histories are important primary sources for historical and genealogical research, providing detailed coverage of local history, including information about individuals, families, and communities.
- NewspaperArchive: Texas Collection This link opens in a new windowSearchable full image access to many historical newspapers from all across Texas, including the San Antonio Light (1882 -1977) and the San Antonio Express News (1865-1974). (Some years are incomplete.) Database covers 1813-2022.
- TARO (Texas Archival Resources Online) This link opens in a new windowTARO makes descriptions of the rich archival, manuscript, and museum collections in repositories across the state available to the public. The site consists of the collection descriptions or "finding aids" that archives, libraries, and museums create to assist users in locating information in their collections. Many of UTSA's special collections are available through TARO.
- Texas Borderlands Newspaper Collection This link opens in a new windowThis collection contains scanned images of historical newspapers (1887-1997) from counties at or near the Texas border. Includes titles published in Spanish and French as well as English. Freely available from University of North Texas Portal to Texas History.
- Texas Newspapers (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window131 Texas news sources containing staff-authored articles but not including paid obituaries, advertising, and some free-lance material.
- Texas Reference Center (EBSCO) This link opens in a new windowProvides full-text access to journal and news articles, reference works, and e-books, on Texas history, culture, and life.
Also includes Texas Almanac
Special Collections
- San Antonio Black History CollectionThe San Antonio Black History Collection was brought together by Lewis Fisher while conducting research on San Antonio history. The collection is made up of printed materials that reflect African-American life in San Antonio in the 20th century. San Antonio funeral homes, schools, and churches are the major subjects in this material. The collection has been arranged into the following categories: businesses, churches, clubs and organizations, education, history, military, newspapers and magazines, and photographs. A key holding is Snap, a weekly local publication that covered San Antonio politics, social events, and current events from an African-American perspective.
- San Antonio’s NAACP chapterThe NAACP San Antonio Branch was established in 1918 by J.A. Grumbles with 503 founding members. The organization works to ensure equal rights for all persons and to eliminate racial discrimination. Records contain historical summaries of the organization, constitutions and bylaws of the branch, meeting minutes, committee and financial reports, branch newsletters, and subject files corresponding to committee work.
- A Guide to the African American Quilt Circle of San Antonio Records, 2017-2018The African American Quilt Circle of San Antonio was founded in August 2017 by four quilters. The organization creates and exhibits quilts that illustrate San Antonio’s African American history and community. The collection contains a small scrapbook and materials relating to quilt exhibitions.
- A Guide to the Washington Family Papers, 1885-1972The Washington family were members of a freedmen's colony in Cologne, Texas founded by George Washington and Joseph Smith. The collection is comprised of print materials related to property ownership and taxes. There are photographs of the family and their house, one piece of correspondence, and one fabric remnant.
- Institute of Texan Cultures: Student Intern Research Collection, 1983-1992Collection includes the records pertaining to the Student Intern Research Project that began at the Institute of Texan Cultures in 1983. The records include memoranda, personal and administrative correspondence, interview recordings and transcripts, research files, research reports and photographic materials pertaining to independent student research. There are a couple files on students that did their research specifically on Juneteenth.
ITC Oral History Collection -- Juneteenth
- Interview with Patricia Smith Prather, 1994Historian and author Patricia Prather discusses the gains and losses that resulted from desegregation in Houston and, in particular, the Fifth Ward where she was born.
- Interview with Lorraine O'Banion, 1993Educator Lorraine O'Banion discusses her experiences during the mid-20th century, including a comparison between neighboring towns of predominantly African-American Prairie View with mainly white Hempstead, education, and changes as a result of civil rights.
- Interview with Sadye Gee, 1993.Black Dallas educator Sadye Gee recalls the good and the bad of the city's gradual desegregation and the importance of the Hamilton Park neighborhood to Dallas' Black leadership.
- Interview with Eugene Bullard, 1979-07-12A fairly long interview speaking about his time as a sharecropper in Texas, farming and growing up in his community. He contributed to the history and material culture of the ITC's Sharecropper Cabin exhibit.
- Interview with Eugene Bullard, 1979-07-10A first interview, shorter, of Mr. Ballard speaking about his time as a sharecropper in Texas, farming and growing up in his community. He contributed to the history and material culture of the ITC's Sharecropper Cabin exhibit.
- Interview with Dr. I. J. Lamothe, 1993Interview with Dr. Lamothe to speak about his experience with the civil rights movement in Marshall, TX.
- Interview with Marian and A.L. Holbert, 1993An interview with A.L. and Marian Holbert from Palestine, Texas to speak about their experience with the civil rights movement in East Texas.
- Interview with Irene Batts Cambell, 1993An interview with Irene Batts Cambell from Caddo Lake, Texas, discussing her memories of life along Caddo Lake, and about growing up here in Marshall.
- Interview with Bennie Joseph, 1993An interview with photographer Benny Joseph in Houston, discussing the civil rights movement in Houston and its aftermath.