Houston

Houston has long been a crossroads of Black migration, creativity, and resilience. After Emancipation, formerly enslaved people established independent communities known as Freedmen’s Towns, carving out spaces of autonomy in a rapidly industrializing city. One of the most prominent, Houston’s Fourth Ward, became a vibrant cultural and political center where Black Houstonians built churches, businesses, and social institutions that shaped the city’s identity. Though highways and redevelopment have threatened these historic neighborhoods, the roots of resistance and community remain strong. In Houston, the Black experience is not only preserved in its heritage trees and historic corridors—it is alive in the ongoing struggle to protect land, memory, and self-determination.