Texas Black History Preservation Project

April 10, 2008 by theo.johnson
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Society & Culture

There’s a new project being started by Roxanne Evans and Michael Hurd called the Texas Black History Preservation Project, where they will cover almost 500 years of the black experience in Texas. Being a native Texan, I’m happy to see something like this and I’m sure many will benefit from their efforts. There’s a lot more to Texas than people realize and they have a big undertaking in collecting all of the history for their book.

They’ve posted a 30-minute audio interview for you to learn more about the project and they are seeking any information you may have regarding your family and their roots in Texas Black History. Here’s more information from their website describing the project:

That’s what the Texas Black History Preservation Project intends to ask thousands of African Americans with Texas roots over the next few years as we put together the most comprehensive documentation ever undertaken for the Black experience in Texas. We’re talking about almost 500 years of history, dating from 1528 when a Moor servant, Estevanico, waded ashore at what would become Galveston Island with a group of Spanish explorers.

Our series – in book and DVD form – will provide in-depth interpretive essays and profiles for the series, but we also want to include undocumented family histories and other stories relating to Black history in Texas that have yet to be told. We will aggressively seek out and collect those stories and hope you will help us.

Black Texans have made significant contributions in shaping this state and it is our intent to make as many of the stories created along the way more accessible through this series of books. We’ll talk about lawmakers and public officials, preachers/the Black church, educators, Black colleges and universities, fraternities/sororities, athletes and coaches, entertainers, media (Black newspapers, journalists, radio stations, etc.), and much, much more.

Through the course of this project, we fully expect you will find your families, your friends, your neighbors … you’ll find yourself.

Over the next few years, we hope you’ll get in the habit of checking in with us here to chart our progress and help us uncover the rich history of African Americans in Texas.

So, what’s your story?

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Comments

4 Comments on Texas Black History Preservation Project

Joel on Sat, 12th Apr 2008 11:15 am

I can really appreciate this with all of the East Texas roots I have. I’m sure there are some very interesting bits of my history that I don’t know about. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on this. Thanks Theo.

D Jones on Tue, 27th Apr 2010 5:00 pm

I am very interested in this project. I am an American Studies major with a minor in Architectural History. I have located one of the oldest established African American neighborhoods. It is in disrepair. It is already been deemed a historical district. I am looking for individuals or groups that would be interested in
re-establishing and preserving the neighborhood for history’s sake. I look forward to watching your project grow. Feel free to contact me at, djones@dtecontractors.com,concerning the “Zion Hill” project in Nacogdoches. Thanks for your attention,
D Jones

Andrea on Tue, 17th Aug 2010 9:49 pm