By Jesus Jesse Esparza In 1836 newcomers from the United States along with their Tejano (Texas Mexicans) allies, took up arms against the Mexican government and successfully seceded from that nation. Following the Battle of San Jacinto, which ended the Texas Revolution, Texians (Anglo Texans) ordered Mexican prisoners to clean the swampland on which Houston […]
Lydia Mendoza was born in Houston Heights on May 21, 1916, to parents who had fled the Mexican Revolution. Rising to fame in the 1930s in the Southwest United States, Mendoza became known as the Queen of Tejano and the first icon of Mexican American pop culture. Despite her popularity at the time, discrimination against […]
“The mission of Talento Bilingüe de Houston is to educate all by preserving, presenting and promoting Latino culture. Founded in 1977 as a small troupe known as “Teatro Bilingüe de Houston” (Bilingual Theater of Houston), this non-profit organization has evolved into a Latino Cultural Arts Center that offers a year-round series of performing arts and […]
Kafah Bachari Manna describes her life growing up Iranian American.Post-9/11, Americans frequently questioned her about her Muslim faith rather than her background. As a result, she co-founded the Pink Iftar Movement, an organization, which holds interfaith dinners for women of multiple backgrounds to bridge the gap between faiths.
Aimee L’Heureux details the Jane Blaffer Owen’s philanthropy to the University of Houston, as well as her contributions to New Harmony, Indiana.
Jane Blaffer Owen, an arts patron, social activist, and preservationist, was the daughter of Robert Lee Blaffer, one of the founders of Humble Oil & Refining Company (now ExxonMobil), and the granddaughter of William T. Campbell, who established the The Texas Company, which became Texaco.
Harvey Johnson came to Houston from Port Arthur to study art at Texas Southern University under world-renowned artist, sculptor, and teacher, John Biggers, who founded the school’s art program in 1949.
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The integration of Houston jazz audiences followed a route of unexpected twists and turns that included the Catholic Church and the arrest of two jazz legends—singer Ella Fitzgerald and jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The man behind this mayhem was Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet, a tenor saxophonist from Houston, Texas.
To view the entire article about Houston’s Theatre History, which appeared in Houston History Volume 7, Number 2, by Ernesto Valdes, download the pdf version.
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