By Lena Craven HAWC staff and volunteers cheerfully assist with the move to the center’s new headquarters at No. 4 Chelsea Place. All photos courtesy of Houston Area Women’s Clinic Photographs, Carey Shuart Women’s Research Collection, Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. Ellen Cohen remembers the public perception surrounding the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) […]
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The History of Hospital Care in Waller County
By Michael Zhou and Mark Tschaepe Illustrated in the 1926 PVAMU yearbook, the second iteration hospital has clearly upgraded from the first iteration, embodying the foundation for PVAMU’s College of Nursing. Photo courtesy of Prairie View A&M University Special Collections/Archives Department. A cross-shaped, one-story, beige building stands on 6th Street in Hempstead, Texas. Some old […]
It Is There I Feel the Spirit: Houston’s Third Ward
By Marie-Theresa Hernández and Naomi Mitchell Carrier The objects you find in Third Ward show you everything you’re willing to see. You look at this car, and what do you see? I see time. The time before the transition. A car that is the 1960s equivalent of a Mercedes today. The Civil Rights Movement is […]
Before the Storm: Forecasting Hurricane Harvey
By Samantha de Leon The mammoth Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast around 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 25, 2017. Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For people living in southeastern Texas, hurricanes are guaranteed to make a few appearances. The colossal storms are inescapable and, in many ways, […]
First Responders Reflect on Harvey
By Graciela Cortez Firefighters from HFD station 49 conduct rescue operations using a highwater vehicle in the Memorial area. Nathan Lilley stands in the front with Brandon Hernandez peeking out from behind him. On the truck standing left to right are Brian Dea, Dustin Davis, and Michael de Leon. Photo courtesy of HFD Station 49. In […]
Disaster and Dedication: The Story of Meyerland’s Jewish Community
By Anna Mayzenberg Meyerland grew rapidly from its beginnings in 1955. Homes, such as this one on Valkeith Drive (1960), frequently sold before construction was completed. Photo courtesy of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library. In the mid-1950s, the 1,200-acre Meyerland subdivision promised to be a new suburban haven for middle- and upper-class […]
Connecting Through Chaos: How Social Media Platforms Helped Save Lives
By Syed Shahzeb Ayaz Using social media to locate those in need and dispatch volunteers to assist them, Mrs. Gitty Francis (far right), along with her volunteer staff, ran the Hurricane Harvey relief operations of Chabad-Lubavitch, a worldwide Jewish movement with a focus on outreach activities. Photo courtesy of Chabad of Texas Archive. During catastrophes, […]
Activism After Harvey: The Democratic Socialists of America Respond
By Christopher Kessinger Houston’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter came together to help Houstonians after Hurricane Harvey. The volunteers helped out in people’s homes and raised money, which they used for cash cards to help those in need. Photos courtesy of the Houston Democratic Socialists of America Facebook Group. Before Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Houston […]
Beyond Social Justice: Black Lives Matter and Houston Relief Efforts
By Christopher Kessinger Brandi Holmes and Secunda Joseph spoke to Houston History about what motivated them to help those in need during Hurricane Harvey. Photo courtesy of Resilient Houston: Documenting Hurricane Harvey. Activists with Black Lives Matter-Houston and Project Curate, Brandi Holmes and Secunda Joseph formulated their own responses to Hurricane Harvey. The two began […]
Straight from the Horse’s Mouth: Hurricane Harvey Through the Eyes of Houstonians
By Andrew Davis The scale of Hurricane Harvey was unfathomable. Between the nationwide volunteer efforts, the overtaxed first responders, the drone footage of I-10 looking like the Mighty Mississippi, and the sense that it affected everyone, the storm’s vast impact remains incomprehensible. Reflecting on those heady days, one of the best ways to understand what […]