Things To Do In Houston
- By E J Jolivet
- Published 02/16/2010
E J Jolivet
EJ is a Houston blogger with a sharp-eye focused on finding exciting, enriching and entertaining things to do in and around Houston each weekend .
You can always find places
with exciting things to do in Houston for African Americans at
Midtownlive. I'm sure there is room for one more item on your list of
things to do this week, add this: listening to the recordings of former
slaves in the Library Of Congress archives. My grandma always said it's
better to
hear it from the horses mouth.
Some scholars even consider oral and pictorial history just as valuable as written history. These remarkable narratives were recorded in the 1930s by members of the Federal Writers' Project, part of the Works Progress Administration.
StoryCorps
National Public Radio currently has an oral history project called StoryCorps. It's basically a mobile recording studio and it was in Houston for several weeks last year recording personal interviews with residents. They're on a mission to capture interviews with prominent businessmen, citizens and everyday people over the next decade and place them in a permanent oral archive in the Library of Congress.
Houston Oral History Project
Former mayor Bill White started a Houston oral history project. It captured fascinating bits and pieces from the eyewitnesses to the historical events that made Houston the vibrant city it is today. The interviews will eventually be available to everyone through the Houston Public Library's webspace.
Famous Black Houstonians
Beaucoup Black Americans have left an imprint in the sands of this fantastic city. We should always remember them and never let these famous Black Houstonians be forgotten. The city has buildings bearing some of their names, but they all deserve to be a part of the events that celebrate black history in Houston.
Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr.
The First African American to walk in space.
Sherman E. Stimley
Opened Texas' first African American firm to specialize in tax-exempt bond law.
Dr. Lonnie E. Smith
His 1944 landmark lawsuit asserted the right of all African-Americans to vote in primary elections in Texas.
Places To Research Family History In Houston
If you're not into listening and learning about other folks history. You can always focus your attention on learning more about your family's history? There are a several places to research family history in Houston, that you should know about.
You don't have to pay anyone to look up your family tree. People from all over the U.S. are discovering that a fun thing to do in Houston is to uncover lost or forgotten facts about their family.
Clayton Library
We have a local repository that's full of records showing births, baptisms and a few slave schedules that are valuable tools for African Americans who want to research their ancestry.
All it takes is a library card and a little sleuthing at the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, located in the museum district. It's a branch of the Houston Public Library that's most people don't know exist. It's a place in Houston where you can connect with your ancestors.
African American Library at the Gregory School
You can also get free access to databases containing African American History online, through Houston's African American Library at the Gregory School. They house an extensive collection of artifacts from Blacks in Houston.
Some scholars even consider oral and pictorial history just as valuable as written history. These remarkable narratives were recorded in the 1930s by members of the Federal Writers' Project, part of the Works Progress Administration.
StoryCorps
National Public Radio currently has an oral history project called StoryCorps. It's basically a mobile recording studio and it was in Houston for several weeks last year recording personal interviews with residents. They're on a mission to capture interviews with prominent businessmen, citizens and everyday people over the next decade and place them in a permanent oral archive in the Library of Congress.
Houston Oral History Project
Former mayor Bill White started a Houston oral history project. It captured fascinating bits and pieces from the eyewitnesses to the historical events that made Houston the vibrant city it is today. The interviews will eventually be available to everyone through the Houston Public Library's webspace.
Famous Black Houstonians
Beaucoup Black Americans have left an imprint in the sands of this fantastic city. We should always remember them and never let these famous Black Houstonians be forgotten. The city has buildings bearing some of their names, but they all deserve to be a part of the events that celebrate black history in Houston.
Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr.
The First African American to walk in space.
Sherman E. Stimley
Opened Texas' first African American firm to specialize in tax-exempt bond law.
Dr. Lonnie E. Smith
His 1944 landmark lawsuit asserted the right of all African-Americans to vote in primary elections in Texas.
Places To Research Family History In Houston
If you're not into listening and learning about other folks history. You can always focus your attention on learning more about your family's history? There are a several places to research family history in Houston, that you should know about.
You don't have to pay anyone to look up your family tree. People from all over the U.S. are discovering that a fun thing to do in Houston is to uncover lost or forgotten facts about their family.
Clayton Library
We have a local repository that's full of records showing births, baptisms and a few slave schedules that are valuable tools for African Americans who want to research their ancestry.
All it takes is a library card and a little sleuthing at the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, located in the museum district. It's a branch of the Houston Public Library that's most people don't know exist. It's a place in Houston where you can connect with your ancestors.
African American Library at the Gregory School
You can also get free access to databases containing African American History online, through Houston's African American Library at the Gregory School. They house an extensive collection of artifacts from Blacks in Houston.
