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?