Black History Month: Graphic Novel Launch Party
Published on February 24, 2026
The February 27 celebration centers on the African American Heritage Preservation Initiative.
SAN ANTONIO (February 24, 2026) – The City’s Office of Historic Preservation will host a Graphic Novel Launch Party to celebrate the completion of the graphic novel, “A Home, a Church, and a Hospital: The Development of East San Antonio,” and the Black and African American Cultural Context Statement.
The event is free and open to the public and will be held on Friday, February 27, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at the Little Carver, Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry. It will include a presentation, video screening, and light refreshments. A video documentary about the making of the graphic novel will be released during the event. Attendees are encouraged to register online at SASpeakUp.com/AAHP to learn more about the event and receive reminder emails.
The San Antonio Black and African American Cultural Context Statement is a tool and resource to help the community, researchers, and preservationists identify important places, events, and forms of intangible heritage such as music, songs, dances, spirituality, festivals, and even parade routes. Cultural context statements inform decisions about preserving cultural heritage. This work will result in possible local landmark designations, National Register of Historic Places listings, historic markers, and other forms of commemoration.
“A Home, a Church, and a Hospital: The Development of East San Antonio” is a graphic novel that tells the story of how Charles Bellinger, Greater Corinth Baptist Church, and two nurses helped to shape the East Side and contributed to San Antonio’s Black and African American heritage. Free copies will be made available to attendees with the opportunity for them to be signed by author Sydney Landers (@squidnycomics).
The context statement and the graphic novel are a part of the African American Heritage Preservation Initiative, a multi-year effort aiming to identify, promote, and preserve San Antonio’s Black and African American cultural heritage through community collaboration, surveying historically African American neighborhoods, and research.