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Site History
"The Westside Education and Training Center (WETC) rests in a historic part of San Antonio
known for its rich cultural and linguistic heritage. While much of the Westside’s popular history
includes a vibrant Mexican American community, a less known but equally important story of
African American heritage and culture permeates the area.
San Antonio was one of the first major cities in 1954 to desegregate its schools following the
U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education and its precursor 1931 landmark
case Roberto Alvarez v. Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District. Prior to
desegregation, Edgewood I.S.D. opened Lincoln Elementary School to educate African
American and Mexican American children with Elizabeth T. Wrenn as the school’s first principal
and Edgewood’s first African American teacher and administrator.
Over 70 years later, this site continues to provide a wealth of resources, education, and training
to all members of the Westside community. The Alamo Colleges District completed a brand new
$24.3M facility on this site. While the former Lincoln Elementary School is expected to be
demolished, the Alamo Colleges District seeks to honor the past and recent history of the site and
continues to activate its mission to empower diverse communities for success through the
WETC. An ongoing project between the Alamo Colleges and the San Antonio African American
Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) aims to document and amplify the important
stories of African American culture, pride, and history in San Antonio’s Westside."
