Black Houston(s) Symposium 2024

Known to locals as “H-Town” and “the Prophetic City,” Houston is the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the United States and the fourth largest city in the nation. Since its official founding in 1837, Afrodiasporic people have fundamentally shaped Houston’s social and cultural landscapes. Precisely what opportunities have Black people negotiated and redefined, created and maintained in response to life lived in the Bayou City? How do residents establish their sense of place in the city, and in what ways might Houstonian cultural productions continue to influence Black artists, activists, and scholars in the 21st century? Houston certainly provides an ideal landscape to reflect on the rich contributions of shifting and dynamic Afro-Diasporic communities as key to a fuller picture of Black southern histories in the United States.

Thursday, March 21, 2024

KEYNOTE | Dr. Andrea Roberts (11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

Dr. Andrea Roberts is an Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning and Co-Director of the School’s Center for Cultural Landscapes at the University of Virginia’s (UVA) School of Architecture. Before joining UVA, Dr. Roberts was an Associate Professor of Urban Planning at Texas A&M University (TAMU). She is a scholar-activist who brings 12 years of experience in community development, nonprofit administration, and advocacy to her engaged research and public scholarship, which raises awareness of the entrenched racial biases impeding documentation, recognition, and preservation of historic Black settlements’ cultural assets. She is also a 6th-generation Texan and freedom colony descendant.

BLACK HOUSTON(S) AWARDS (12:15-12:35 p.m.)

LEGACY AWARD | Michelle Barnes - Community Artists' Collective

Michelle Barnes (born 1948) is an American artist, educator, and arts administrator based in Houston. She works with sculptural materials including fibers and papier-mâché, and is the co-founder and executive director of the Community Artists’ Collective.

PACESETTER AWARD | Ivy Walls & Jeremy Peaches - Fresh Houwse Grocery & Black Farmer Box

Jeremy Peaches is owner and operator of Fresh Life Organic Produce Co. & Agricultural Consulting Firm. He specializes Aquaponics, HydroPonics, and traditional soil farming.

Ivy Walls is the owner and operator of Ivy Leaf Farms. The farm is dedicated to neighborhood beautification while creating sustainable food sources for Sunnyside, Houston Texas

PANEL | Reclaiming, Remembering, and Restoring: Black Cemetery Preservation in Greater Houston ( 1:15-2:30 p.m. )

Reclaiming, Remembering, and Restoring: Black Cemetery Preservation in Greater Houston

Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy is a proud product of Fort Bend County, serving Precinct 4 residents on Commissioners Court since January 2023. Commissioner McCoy began his public service career as an appointee in the Obama Administration. Following his time in Washington, D.C., he returned home to be a force of change in his community. Commissioner McCoy is currently leading the charge to erect Fort Bend County’s first African American memorial. The memorial will be constructed in Kendleton, TX on the grounds of Bates-Allen Park, the location of two historic black cemeteries that had fallen into disrepair. In February 2023, he announced a 4-million-dollar investment to revitalize the park where the burial grounds sit. McCoy believes that the sacred hallowed grown should reflect the stature befitting those buried and the rich story of freedom and progress that the individuals who lay to rest are part of.

Reclaiming, Remembering, and Restoring: Black Cemetery Preservation in Greater Houston

Chassidy Olainu-Alade is a career educator with a passion for social studies education. She is currently the project lead for the Sugar Land 95 Memorial Project, an initiative launched by Fort Bend ISD, in response to the unearthing of a burial ground on the construction site of a school. After several months of excavation, exhumation, and archival studies, it was concluded that the burials were those of 95 African Americans; victims of the state convict leasing program that operated in the county from 1877 – 1911. In 2019, Mrs. Olainu-Alade made a professional and personal commitment that the Sugar Land 95 would be “Found and Not Forgotten”. Her work centers on educating others about convict leasing, memorializing the historic cemetery, and engaging descendant communities. In 2021-2022 she was named both the Texas and National Social Studies Leader of the Year for her advocacy on including convict leasing into social studies curriculums.

Reclaiming, Remembering, and Restoring: Black Cemetery Preservation in Greater Houston

Debra Blacklock-Sloan, a fifth-generation Texan and native Houstonian is a self-employed historical researcher and genealogist. She is Freedmen’s Town R.B.H. Yates Museum, Inc.’s lead docent, education outreach, and historical research director. Debra also operates a tour bus business of African American sites across the country. Tenacious about documenting the African American footprint in Texas, she has participated in several, relevant collaborative projects, and has 12 city designations, 30-plus state historical markers, and 3 county historical markers under her belt. Prairie Grove Cemetery, Olivewood Cemetery, and Rest Lawn Cemetery are included. Debra keeps a pair of cemetery boots in the back of her truck just in case! Her memberships include the Association of Professional Genealogists, Harris County Historical Commission, Willie Lee Gay H-Town Chapter Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society, Oak Park Historic Cemetery Association, and Harris County African American Cultural Heritage Commission

Reclaiming, Remembering, and Restoring: Black Cemetery Preservation in Greater Houston

Margott Williams is best known as an activist, educator, and preservationist. Mrs. Williams is a descendant of the long line of African American community members who have historically called the West End of Houston their home. She is quoted as stating “My community is my life.” Mrs. Williams is the Founder and President of Descendants of Olivewood, Inc. Her organization was established to restore, preserve, and protect historic Olivewood Cemetery, the First Incorporated African American Cemetery in Houston (1875), as a historic, educational, charitable, religious, and cultural site of importance. Descendants of Olivewood, Inc. is dedicated to the reclamation of this cemetery for the benefit of present and future generations of Houston, Texas.

Racially Biased Funerary Practices and Black Futurity in Houston, Texas: College Park Memorial Cemetery

Chaney Hill is a fifth-year English Ph.D. student at Rice University. Her research interests include U.S. literature of the South and the West, Critical Regionalism, Public Memory Studies, and Critical Texas Studies. Her two most recent publications, “Necro-Settler Coloniality in Texan Mythology and Identity: Forgetting the Alamo,” was published in Western American Literature, and “The Roots and Routes of Black Emancipation in Sutton Griggs’s Imperium in Imperio,” in Texas Studies in Literature and Language. She has worked on several public-facing projects, including Rice University’s Racial Geography Project and summer programming for Rice University’s Environmental Studies program that teaches high school students about Environmental Justice and climate change. She is also a daily editor for the Southern Review of Books.

POET LAUREATE | Outspoken Bean (2:45-3:15 p.m.)

Emanuelee Bean, also known by the moniker "Outspoken Bean," stands as a dynamic artist and influential mentor, with an impressive range of accomplishments in the world of poetry and performance. His pioneering spirit was vividly showcased when he became the first poet to grace the revered main stage of Houston Ballet during their production "Play," solidifying his reputation as a trailblazer. Bean's creative impact transcends the stage. His talent has been harnessed by renowned names like Pabst Blue Ribbon and VICE, entrusting him to craft and deliver a national campaign on diversity. Simultaneously, he has curated his own groundbreaking festival, Plus Fest: The Everything Plus Poetry Festival, celebrating the synergy between various art forms and poetry. Born in New Jersey and nurtured in the vibrant culture of San Antonio, Texas, Outspoken Bean currently wears the prestigious title of Houston's Poet Laureate, a position he holds until 2023. This recognition was further affirmed with the distinguished Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship in 2022, a testament to his exemplary contributions. With an unwavering commitment to nurturing emerging talents, Bean has dedicated 14 years as the Head Coach of Meta-Four Houston. This dedication culminated in their remarkable success at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam in 2023. Beyond his poetic endeavors, he extends his expertise to public speaking, mentoring individuals in effective communication. Notably, he has graced the esteemed halls of Carnegie Hall, cementing his reputation as a distinguished performer on the global stage.

PANEL | Reimagining International Black Experiences (3:30-4:15 p.m.)

Music World Entertainment: A Staple in Houston’s Stack of Talent

Peter Dowdy is a young and driven individual on the path to build a strong network with others through customer service, project developing and growing experiences with knowledge to help himself help others move forward to success.

Reimagining the New African Diaspora: Feeling of Closeness and Linked Fate Among Nigerians, Jamaicans, and African Americans in Houston, Texas

Caralee Jones-Obeng is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Africology and African American Studies at Eastern Michigan University. She received a B.A. in Sociology at DePauw University and a M.A. and Ph.D. in African American and African Diaspora Studies from Indiana University. Her scholarly interests include race, ethnicity, immigration, identity and the African diaspora. Her current research explores Black ethnic diversity in Houston, Texas. Drawing from ethnographic and in-depth interviews with 20 Jamaicans, 27 Nigerians and 20 African Americans in Houston, Jones-Obeng explores how diverse Black ethnic groups identify, encounter racism, and relate to individuals from other Black ethnic groups. Prior to joining the faculty at Eastern Michigan University, Dr. Jones-Obeng was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Houston.

DISCUSSION | Local History Spotlight: Lynn's Legacy
(4:30-5:30 p.m.)

Patra Brannon-Isaac is responsible for leading the Kinder Foundation’s philanthropic education and community projects. In her previous role as Regional Director for Leadership ISD, she launched the organization’s Houston region and led efforts to improve community engagement regarding the governance and accountability of public school systems. Patra also served as General Manager of Talent Acquisition for HISD where she was responsible for recruitment, selection and onboarding practices for the nation’s 7th largest district. Prior to a career in the education sector, she spent a decade in the private sector with corporations including ExxonMobil, BMC Software, Wells Fargo, Merck & Co and Coca-Cola - holding diverse and progressive roles in finance, corporate audit and human capital.

Dr. Michon Benson is a Visiting Professor of English at Texas Southern University, teaching African American literature. The College Language Association (CLA) published her most recent essay about a text covering the Black Power Movement, and several other selections are under peer review.

Friday, March 22, 2024

PANEL | Houston's Rhythm: The 90s Hip Hop Revolution (11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.)

Sheila Pree Bright is an Atlanta-based, award-winning American photographer best known for her works Plastic Bodies, Suburbia, Young Americans and her most recent series #1960Now. Sheila is the author of #1960Now: Photographs of Civil Rights Activist and Black Lives Matter Protest published by Chronicle Books.

Dr. Michon Benson is a Visiting Professor of English at Texas Southern University, teaching African American literature. The College Language Association (CLA) published her most recent essay about a text covering the Black Power Movement, and several other selections are under peer review.

PANEL | Voices of The Red Book: A Window into Black Houston’s Past (1:30-2:50 p.m.)

Voices of the Red Book: A Window into Black Houston's Past

Patra Brannon-Isaac is responsible for leading the Kinder Foundation’s philanthropic education and community projects. In her previous role as Regional Director for Leadership ISD, she launched the organization’s Houston region and led efforts to improve community engagement regarding the governance and accountability of public school systems. Patra also served as General Manager of Talent Acquisition for HISD where she was responsible for recruitment, selection and onboarding practices for the nation’s 7th largest district. Prior to a career in the education sector, she spent a decade in the private sector with corporations including ExxonMobil, BMC Software, Wells Fargo, Merck & Co and Coca-Cola - holding diverse and progressive roles in finance, corporate audit and human capital.

Voices of the Red Book: A Window into Black Houston's Past

Clayton Catchings

Voices of the Red Book: A Window into Black Houston's Past

Beverly Mims-Woods

American Freedmen: Then, Now & Forever

Donald Smither - As the President of the Texas Freedmen Affairs PAC and a Precinct Chair with the Harris County Republican Party, Donald Smither is dedicated to creating lasting change within our communities. His work focuses on advocating for economic development, legislative action, and accountability that benefits Black Americans, particularly in the establishment of the Office of Freedmen Affairs. I am committed to building strong networks and fostering collaboration to drive impactful initiatives that uplift and empower our communities.

PANEL | Power, Policing & Local Resistance(s) ( 3-4 p.m. )

To Witness: Cell Phone Cameras and racial Injustice Accountability in Black Houston(s)

Jessica Bray is a PhD candidate in the anthropology department at Rice University. Her research focuses on the role of surveillance and policing technologies in livable futures. As a legal and political anthropologist, she is fundamentally interested in personhood and illegality within ethical and technical entanglements. These interests are rooted in her ethnographic fieldwork with organizers and police officers. Her dissertation traces how technolegal devices embody moral distinctions, pose questions about race and colonialism, help people imagine liveable futures, and addresses questions of secrecy and intimacy in contemporary United States.

A Product of My Environment: The Case of Kennedy Heights vs. Chevron Corporation

April M. Fraizer is an artist and photographer from Houston, Texas. She is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University, and Rice University. She formerly spent 15 years in technology oil and gas and is now the Assistant Director of the Community Artists’ Collective. April’s most prized and ongoing photographic work involves research and documentation of her ancestral roots in Texas through the creation of imagery on lands with familial connection from the time of enslavement to present day. Her exhibition, Frame of Reference was a culmination of this work and received national acclaim from its initial showing at the Houston Museum of African American Culture with additional displays across the US and abroad. April enjoys contributing to research projects that broaden access to diverse historical narratives such as partnering with Getty Images to launch their Black History and Culture Collection, working with Rice University on their SlaveVoyages Redesign Project, and contributing writing to the critical anthology, Racial Discourse in American Literature.

Segregation, Intimacy, and the Criminalization of Black Houston

Dr. David Ponton III is a social theorist and a historian of Afro-America and the twentieth century United States. Ponton received his A.B. in religious studies from Princeton University in 2009 and his M.A. and Ph.D. in History at Rice University with a graduate certificate in the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality in 2017. He is an assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of South Florida, primarily serving Africana Studies. Through his archival research and anti-disciplinary experiments, he challenges assumptions about the meaning and purpose of history in ways that are richly empirical and theoretically sophisticated. His research on segregation utilizes Afropessimism to destabilize our understanding of change, time, and redemption in the singular moment of black suffering. He is the author of Houston and the Permanence of Segregation: An Afropessimist Approach to Urban History (University of Texas Press, 2024).

PANEL | Murals, Landmarks & Public Memory (4:15-5:00 p.m.)

Visions and Prophecies in a Temple to the Imagination: Murals at Texas Southern University

Will North is a cultural worker and community historian based in Houston, Texas. Through his writings and visual art, he explores intergenerational dialogues in shared spaces. He is particularly interested in the intellectual traditions represented by art of the African diaspora. Will develops curriculum and workshops as a mentor in the Mufasa’s Pride Rites of Passage program for young men. He has worked with children of all ages as a volunteer art history instructor in area schools. Will has researched the mural tradition of Texas Southern University for several years and has led mural tours on the campus. Will’s first solo exhibition is currently on view at the Anderson Center for the Arts. He is also exhibiting with some of the former TSU muralists at the Gregory School. Will serves on the boards of the Sankofa Collective Theatre-Houston, The Healing Academy of Chicago, Illinois, and the Black Cowboy Coalition.

Establishing Black Spaces: How Community Landmarks Define Black Houston's Culture

Analisa Esther is a Graduate Fellow for the University Museum at Texas Southern University. Esther received a BFA in Dance and BA in History from Texas State University. She is currently pursuing a Masters in History with a focus in Black History. Analisa Esther has traveled throughout the Western Hemisphere performing and teaching dance in places like Port of Spain, Trinidad and Queretaro, Mexico. Within the University Museum she promotes social and cultural programs and brings awareness to the art legacy housed within the Museum. Esther also works with an elite team of specialists that preserve and extend culture legacy in the Houston community.

Establishing Black Spaces: How Community Landmarks Define Black Houston's Culture

Rita Reyes is a research intern for the Smithsonian HBCU History & Culture Access Consortium and artist in residence at Project Row House. Reyes received her BFA in Art while being the first graduate with a minor in Museum Studies at Texas Southern University. When not working on art and research, her other passion is raising funds for her non-profit Clean on Me, which provides free cleaning, hygienic supplies, and funds to wash clothes to communities in need. Her future goals are to pursue a Masters in Library & Information Science with a concentration in archival studies.

Establishing Black Spaces: How Community Landmarks Define Black Houston's Culture

Kaylene McCoy-Mosley is a graduating senior Art major and Museum Studies minor at Texas Southern University. McCoy-Mosley is an intern for the Smithsonian HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium, a project that strives to digitize and showcase artworks at Texas Southern on a national and international scale and preserve the university’s history. McCoy-Mosley has a deep passion for music, art, and her Black culture, and in the future wishes to use her degree to become a museum curator.

Establishing Black Spaces: How Community Landmarks Define Black Houston's Culture

Ben Schachter is the Digital Humanities Program Manager at the University Museum at Texas Southern University. Schachter received his B.A. in History and Latin American Studies from Rice University. His previous experience includes several archival and digital humanities projects, primarily focused on the study of the history of slavery in Texas, the US South, and the Caribbean. These include an undergraduate thesis on an enslaved family in Fort Bend County and work on the SlaveVoyages database. In his current role, he is tasked with managing Texas Southern’s participation in the Smithsonian HBCU History & Culture Access Consortium, a project which aims to digitize and promote the University Museum’s holdings to a broader audience. He intends to enter the University of North Texas’ Master’s in Library Science with a concentration in Archival Studies program this summer.

INTERACTIVE CASE | PLACE PRESENTATION (5:10-5:55 p.m.)

For colored preservationists
who've considered demolition when grant pools and nostalgia aren't enough

Viktor E. Givens

PERFORMANCE | ANGELITOS NEGROS (6:00-6:20 p.m.)

"Angelitos Negros" choreographed by Lori Bujung, Director of Second Generation Dance Company, chronicles the often untold history and experiences of enslaved Africans traveling to Mexico for freedom during the 19th century. The piece premiered in 2008. This re-staging by Nia's Daughters Movement Collective is the recipient of a "Let Creativity Happen Grant" by Houston Arts Alliance and the City of Houston Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs adds to a body of work portraying African Americas in Texas with Resilient and revolutionary spirits.

ARTIST TALK | Lori Bujong (6:20-6:45 p.m.)

Lori Amare-Bujung began her training in dance with Allie Belle Thomas who gave her a love of ballet. She later trained with Frank Hatchett who gave her the opportunity to dance off-Broadway and train with professionals such as Rick Odums, and Maurice Hines.

Bujung later joined the Kuumba House Dance Theatre where she taught, became a company dancer, and later moved into leadership, as company tour manager, school director, and grant writer. She also danced with Several Dancers Core, Texas Dance Theatre, and local productions like the “Music of Motown,” and several productions with the Ensemble Theater. She founded Second Generation Dance Company where she was able to choreograph several dynamic dance works and promote culture through dance.

Amare-Bujung received a BFA in Dance from Sam Houston State University and an MFA in Dance from Hollins University. She taught at Houston Community College for five years and is in her 19th year teaching for Houston Independent School District.