The struggle to preserve the history of Freedmen’s Town in Houston, Texas is entangled in the questionable systems of urban renewal and development, which inevitably work to displace many of the poor African American residents from the community.
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Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder: Third Ward Art Treasure but a Memory
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.
Letter from the Editor – Coming to Houston
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William Holland: A Mighty Lion at Yates
In 1958, Jack Yates High School moved from its original location at 2610 Elgin Street in the Third Ward to its current location at 3703 Sampson, just a short distance away. It should have been an improvement—modern building, larger facility—but instead it marked a reversal from the school’s position as a central, guiding force for […]
The Dawn at My Back: A Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing
The Dawn at My Back: Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing explores what it means to grow up in a racist society. It describes the injustices endured daily and vividly paints a picture of the pain they carry with them. Blue’s story demonstrates the power of racism to rip families apart, even as one consciously […]
Zinetta Burney: Crossing Alabama St.
One of the most significant socio-economic impacts resulting from white supremacy, and its attending corollary of Black inferiority, was the use of race as a determinant of residential housing patterns which forced African American families into isolation in segregated neighborhoods. For Zinetta Burney and her African American neighbors in Houston’s Third Ward, Alabama Street was […]
Houston’s First Ward: Producing Food from Farm to Counter
In 1839 Houston was divided into four wards, each a geographic area which provided representation for the municipal government. The crossing at Congress Avenue and Main Street became the intersecting point for dividing the wards. The First Ward, located in the northwest quadrant of that intersection, bordered the strategic location where Buffalo Bayou and White […]
From Das Zweiter to El Segundo, A Brief History of Houston’s Second Ward
Second Ward was home to the extremely wealthy and extremely poor, bartenders and brewers, renters and ranchers, priests and politicos. The residents lived in a variety of situations ranging from traditional neighborhoods to suburban ranches. The area boasted one of Houston’s first churches, several early park and recreational areas, and the city’s first suburb.
Women Stretching the Limits by Stretching Their Minds: 100 Years of the Chautauqua Study Club
To view the entire article about the women’s Chautauqua Study Club by Betty Trapp Chapman, which appeared in Houston History Volume 7, Number 2, download the pdf version.
Forging a Community: The Rise of Gay Political Activism in Houston
To view the entire article about The Rise of Gay Political Activism in Houston by John Goins, which appeared in Houston History Volume 7, Number 2, download the pdf version.