By A’Viyon M. Robinson Rev. John Henry “Jack” Yates (1828–1897) was a father, husband, man of God, community leader, and entrepreneur. In 1926, students honored Yates’s legacy by voting to name their new school Jack Yates Senior High School. Photo in the public domain. When mentioning Jack Yates High School to a native Houstonian, they might recount fond memories or well-known anecdotes about a school whose legacy is […]
By Antonio Lopez and Andres Rios The original Jack Yates campus, located at 2610 Elgin, was the second Black high school in Houston. The school became a pillar of the community and a beacon of education in the Third Ward. The school has been home to notable alumni, from musicians and artists to activists and politicians. Photo courtesy of the Sloane Collection. A pillar […]
by Debbie Z. Harwell A leader in the Third Ward community, William S. Holland served as principal of Jack Yates High School from 1941-1958. Photo courtesy of Deloris Johnson. “Mr. Holland … spoke out about what he thought was best for his students no matter what it was, no matter to whom he was speaking, he […]
by Debbie Z. Harwell Alumni from Yates and Wheatley came to the unveiling of the historical marker for the Turkey Day Classic, which stands on the University of Houston campus at the site where the Turkey Day Classic was played from 1942 to1966. Photo courtesy of the University of Houston. The nation’s biggest high school rivalry football game took place on Thanksgiving Day in the heart of Houston, […]
By Ana C. Parker and A’Viyon Robinson From its founding in 1926, Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas, has seen thousands of students enter its doors and walk its storied halls, going on to graduate in pursuit of vastly varied lives and careers. Of these graduates, many have gone on to be notable figures, while a host of other Yates alumni have distinguished themselves across the fields of entertainment, education, law, […]
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By Jonas Leon Kaupert Members of the Houston Saengerbund host Oktoberfest at their new headquarters, located in the Houston Heights, in 2023. They spent time throughout their season practicing for the event, which celebrates their German heritage. Photo courtesy of the Houston Saengerbund. Houston ranks as one of the most diverse cities in the United […]
By Vince Lee Songbook for Houston Saengerbund Bass performers at Des Deutsch Texanischen Saengerbundes (the German Texan Singers’ League), 1902. All photos courtesy of Houston Saengerbund Records, Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. The Houston Saengerbund, meaning “singing society,” was founded on October 6, 1883, by German immigrants. They sought to bring their musical traditions […]
By Daniel Killian The On Leong Merchants Association formed in 1893 as a national mutual aid society for Chinese men. The Houston chapter filed with the Texas Secretary of State in 1944, although it existed prior to that time. Photo courtesy of the Houston History Research Center, Houston Public Library, MSS-1248-0404. Today, when Houstonians refer […]
By Miranda Ruzinsky Ana Eigler, Sephardic, married her husband Robert Eigler, Ashkenazi, in 1973. They maintained a bicultural Jewish household of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish practices alongside their shared Latin heritage. All photos courtesy of Ana Eigler. This is a story about identity—self-asserted and externally imposed. Ana Eigler, a Sephardic Jew from Latin America, understood […]
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