News — Houston

In 1837, Houston, Texas was incorporated and divided into four wards. The Southeast ward was named Third Ward and over time this area became an important center of African American-owned businesses and a hub for black culture.

Third Ward originally comprised the area east of Main Street and south of Congress Street. After the Civil War ended former slaves from the areas surrounding Houston began to move into Third Ward.  At the time, African Americans were forced to live on the outskirts of the ward but as whites moved to the suburbs, blacks began to purchase property in the heart of the ward. In 1872, influential African Americans led by Reverend John Henry “Jack” Yates raised $8,000 to purchase four acres of land which would become Emancipation Park, the first park for black Houstonians and home to the annual Juneteenth Celebration commemorating the liberation of African Americans from slavery in Texas.

Between 1910 and 1930 the African American population in the Third Ward exploded from 22,929 to 66,357. As a result of the rapid population growth, African American owned businesses increased along Dowling Street, which became the area’s main business corridor.

Dowling Street also became the center of Houston’s blues movement. Blues clubs were lined up and down the street and became places where artists from throughout the South and Southwest went to experiment and perfect their craft. The Eldorado Ballroom the self-styled “Home of the Happy Feet,” was the premier venue featuring artist like Ray Charles, and B.B. King, as well as local artist Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, and Jewel Brown.  African Americans came from all over East Texas to frequent the nightlife in Third Ward to have a fun night, allowing them a brief release from the everyday realities of the Jim Crow South.

The Third Ward was also home to other community landmarks such as Jack Yates High School, the second African American high school in Houston, the Covington House which served as Houston’s unofficial guest quarters for many prominent African American visitors, the Shape Community Center and Riverside Hospital, the first non-profit hospital for African Americans in Houston. Texas Southern University, founded in 1947, was the largest institution in the ward.

As African Americans left the South for better opportunities in the North in the first half of the 20th century, the Houston Chamber of Commerce, unlike most white urban leaders in the South, took out advertisements for “Heavenly Houston,” hoping to lure blacks to the city.  By the early 1950s, however, wealthy and middle-class blacks started leaving the Third Ward as they integrated formerly all-white residential areas. That outward migration continued through the 1960s and 1970s and now included business departures.  Those businesses that remained of the began to fail, leaving Third Ward a shell of its former prominence.

Today there are approximately 33,000 residents remaining in Third Ward and despite the efforts to gentrify the area, residents and community leaders have begun a concerted effort to preserve, protect and celebrate the rich history and heritage of Third Ward.

The Longview Race Riot occurred on July 10-12 in this northeast Texas city where 1,790 blacks comprised 31% of the town’s 5,700 people in 1919. Racial tensions were high across the United States due to race riots that began in March 1919. Just before the Longview Riot, local teacher and newspaper correspondent Samuel L. Jones and Dr. Calvin P. Davis, prominent leaders of the black community, had begun encouraging local black farmers to avoid selling to local white cotton brokers and to instead sell directly to buyers in Galveston. Also, local blacks set up a cooperative store where they competed with and angered local white merchants. These incidents raised tensions in Longview long before the riot occurred.

In early June, a local black man, Lemuel Walters, was beaten by two white men for allegedly making romantic advances towards their sister, a white woman from Kilgore. Walters was arrested and put in the Gregg County jail, but a mob showed up at the jail on June 17, and the sheriff gave Walters to the mob, who shot and killed him. The story was printed in the Chicago Defender on July 10 and enraged local whites who blamed the article on Jones although he denied writing it.

Later that day Jones was attacked and beaten across the street from the Gregg County courthouse by the same men who beat Walters. Dr. Davis arrived in his vehicle and took Jones to his office to treat him. The two men appealed to Mayor Gabriel A. Bodenheim for protection but were instead advised to leave town. Jones hid with relatives and they gathered twenty-five friends to protect his home. Around midnight, a group of white men arrived at Jones house but were met with gunfire. Three of the white men were injured, and another who hid under a nearby house was beaten badly by the black defenders of the home.

As the word spread, a crowd of almost 1,000 whites began to gather back in town with some breaking into Welch’s Hardware Store to take guns and ammunition. The crowd burned down Jones’s home, Dr. Davis’s home and office, and a black dance hall. Although Texas governor William P. Hobby sent eight Texas Rangers to Longview, the violence continued. On the night of July 12, Marion Bush, father-in-law of Dr. Davis, was killed by a local white farmer. On Sunday, July 13, Governor Hobby declared martial law in all of Gregg County, and ordered all residents of Longview to surrender their weapons at the county courthouse. An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 weapons were turned in, and more soldiers and Rangers arrived in town to quell the riots.

Seventeen white men were arrested for attempted murder on July 14, but all were released. Nine other white men were arrested for arson and then released. None of the men were prosecuted. Twenty-one black men were arrested for assault and attempted murder and moved to an Austin, Texas jail for their safety. Eventually, all were released without trials, to avoid any further unrest in Longview. Martial law ended on July 18, and citizens were allowed to retrieve their firearms the next day. The Longview Race Riot was one of twenty-five riots that took place from May through October 1917 during what would be called the Red Summer.

A Texan teenager just became University of Houston’s youngest Fall 2020 graduate at the age of 17 and her message to the world is, “anything is possible and to not let circumstances get in the way.” Raised by a single mother, Salenah (Selena) Cartier graduated with two degrees under her belt.

It was a tough call for Cartier to choose homeschooling full time after 6th grade. Prior to that, she was shuffling between public education in elementary and middle school. Being at the top of her class constantly, Cartier was bullied by her peers for always chalking high-level academic successes.

Not wanting to entertain ‘mediocrity’ and always seeking bigger challenges academically, Cartier enrolled in a self-paced homeschooling program that made her sail through her course works with ease. So at 14, she graduated from high school and had her eyes set on college.

“I needed a new challenge, and attending college presented the perfect academic and social growth opportunity for me,” she said.

Her mother is a strong pillar in her life because Cartier is one of four children and the family found it hard to make ends meet. They struggled financially but the 17-year-old did not let that impede her progress academically.

While taking dual credit classes at Lone Star College-Kingwood, she found a way to pay for the chunk of her fees by retailing used textbooks on eBay she purchased for less in thrift stores and online.

One piece of advice from her mother kept her going and Cartier said that statement always pushed her to keep feeding her brains regardless of how tough life got.

“My mom would always say you have to figure out what you want to do in life and how you want to make an impact on the world,” she said.

With that mantra plus a few life lessons on the importance of self-worth, she graduated from Lone Star College-Kingwood with an associate of science degree then transferred to the University of Houston.

She is now the youngest graduate in her class with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. She will also receive a certificate in Corporate Entrepreneurship from C.T. Bauer College of Business.

Her dream is to help the less fortunate in society through what she knows best — education. Cartier aspires to be an educator, researcher and policymaker to help disadvantaged children in society go for gold.

“I hope that my achievements are able to inspire [people] of all ages. It is never to early or late to pursue a goal. There will never be a perfect time to start a journey, but if you want to succeed, you just have to start. As long as you maintain an open mindset, you will learn on every step of the journey.”

The young scholar has her eyes set on a master’s degree in the College of Education’s Curriculum and Instruction program at UH and concurrently applying to doctoral programs.

“After I complete the master’s program, I will teach college level courses while attending a doctoral program. I would like to research the impact that early life exposure to adversity has on cognitive development,” she told Because Of Them We Can.

Did you know that by the end of this year, more than 50 million people could experience food insecurity, according to Feeding America, the country’s largest hunger-relief organization? That’s one in six Americans and one in four children — nearly a 50 percent increase from 2019.

Giving in various capacities happens all year long, but there is something extra special about the holiday season. One thing about it, there is always a need that can be fulfilled in our communities.

Houston’s own FOREX mogul and network marketer, David Imonitie, along with his team of supporters, fed 1,000 families through his I Believe Foundation. Last week, they hosted a Turkey and Food Giveaway at Faith International Church and provided free meals, food, gifts, music, and loads of family fun.

The I Believe Foundation was established in 2013 and was created to facilitate transformative thinking for youth and young adults by enhancing their belief system. Belief is the bridge between where you are right now, and where you desire to be, says Imonitie. At the heart of the nonprofit is the notion that individuals can change their lives and current status with a positive outcome by raising awareness and creating belief in something greater than themselves.

The foundation’s signature event is its annual “Magic of Believing” gala that celebrates accomplishments and milestones while raising funds for the next year’s work and initiatives across the globe. The gala will take place on Jan. 10 in Houston and will be a magical night of giving and receiving. The foundation will support humanitarian efforts and global initiatives such as SARS in Africa; in addition it will provide grants and awards to other nonprofit organizations, 501(c)3 entities, churches, and ministries.

I Believe in Change is one of the foundation’s initiatives that increases awareness and currently is challenging others to make a change by impacting the community and tackling such issues as:

• Feeding the community
• Providing COVID-19 testing for those who can’t get access
• Engaging in police reform to institute change
• Providing youth education and literacy
• Offering healthcare in urban communities