Tag: freed slaves

Houston Matters

Juneteenth: Celebrating 150 Years of Freedom

Posted on · On this day 150 years ago, slaves in Texas learned they were free. June 19th became known as Juneteenth, a day for freed slaves to celebrate their emancipation. To mark this 150th anniversary, Michael Hagerty tells us more about the first Juneteenth, how Juneteenth celebrations have evolved over the years and about a new resource […]

Houston Matters

Nelly Norris: Freed Slave Fights Attempts to Re-Enslave Her

Posted on · In the early 1800s in Texas, the law of the land required any freed slave to carry documentation on them at all times proving their free status. There were some who tried to profit from the law by trying to re-enslave those caught without their paperwork – as if they were unclaimed property. Recently discovered […]

Full Show

Racial Quotas in Housing and “Deli Man” Ziggy Gruber: Thursday’s show (February 26, 2015)

Posted on · The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit challenging decisions by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The department awarded tax credits for low-income housing in Dallas to encourage new affordable housing in blighted areas using race-neutral criteria. A group called the Inclusive Communities Project sued, saying the agency approved more applications in […]

Houston Matters

Descendant of Former Slave Owners Seeks Out Descendants of Their Former Slaves

Posted on · As a kid, Houston Chronicle business columnist Chris Tomlinson was fascinated by family stories of his great-grandfather coming to Texas as a pioneering settler of the American West. But as he grew older, he started to understand the story wasn’t as glorious as he thought — his ancestors were slaveholders. Just five years ago, Tomlinson […]

Houston Matters

Debate Surges Over How to Handle Brick Streets in Historic Freedmen’s Town

Posted on · More than a century ago, freed slaves and their descendants laid bricks in the Fourth Ward community of Freedmen’s Town. That alone makes the bricks significant, but there’s more to it than that. The bricks are laid out in particular designs at some intersections – designs which in some cases pointed to safe houses for […]