In January 1971, construction began on Alpha Tau Omega’s Roseville Apartments, an affordable housing project on San Antonio’s Eastside designed by Norcell Haywood and funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The sorority, a local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, continues to run the apartment complex, which provides senior citizens with housing and programs to enhance their lives.

Norcell Dan Haywood, the first licensed Black architect in San Antonio, shaped our city’s modern aesthetic. He designed community spaces for our historically Black Eastside such as churches, libraries, and community centers, and believed “[Minority architects] should be able to beneficially serve their profession and community at the same time without having to serve one at the expense of the other.”

Artemisia Bowden was dean and President Emeritus of St. Philip’s College. She served the school from 1902 until her retirement in 1954 and was canonized by the Episcopal Church for her work in education. In addition to her work with St. Philip’s, Bowden was an active community advocate for San Antonio’s and Texas’ African American residents. Get to know this important civic leader and educator!