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The historic Black neighborhood of Houston’s Third Ward is home to two universities: the University of Houston (UH) and - right across Scott Street - Texas Southern University (TSU). The histories of these two educational institutions are intertwined, especially at the intersection of race and segregation within the city. Both were founded in the 1920s as junior colleges: UH for white students and TSU for Black students. By 1934, increased enrollments led their transition to four-year institutions. However, segregation intentionally persisted through the 1950s, even after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. No Black students or professors were admitted to UH. This separation reflected the broader culture of Houston, which had for decades developed along strict racial lines and inequality. 

Then in the early 1960s, as the Civil Rights movement swelled nationally, TSU students began local sit-ins. At the same time, Houston Black and white business leadership committed to begin quietly desegregating businesses but only under a media blackout. Despite this blackout, students at both TSU and UH continued their work at their universities and within the wider community - demanding change. Today’s podcast episode highlights three acts of their activism and how these brave students not only confronted the academic space but contributed to the transformation of an entire city. 

Act One: Women of Houston’s Student Civil Rights Movement

Graduate Student Brandy Black tells the story of the Texas Southern University women who organized and participated in Houston’s Student Civil Rights Movement. Although many of these women remain unknown, Black highlights three preserved in the archives: Holly Adrienne Hogrobrooks, Deanna Lot Burrell, and Halcyon Sadberry Watkins.

Act Two: 5,000 Rounds 

On the night of May 16 and into the early morning of May 17, 1967, the campus of Texas Southern University was rocked by a violent police operation. After the smoke cleared, one officer had been killed, almost 500 students were arrested, and one dormitory was shot with thousands of bullets. Graduate student Chase Holt turns to the archives to pull apart the shockingly differing accounts of that night. Check out the podcast series from Chase Holt: A.P.E. Academy.  

Act Three: Gene Locke and the Integration of UH 

After federal policy desegregated UH, student activism helped ensure that Black students and faculty were actually integrated into the academic community. Graduate students Cindy Rivas Alfaro and Luana Lucena spotlight how student Gene Locke and colleagues advocated for change while facing prejudice and resistance both on campus and off.    

***This episode was researched, written, and recorded by Brandy Black, Chase Holt, Cindy Rivas Alfaro, and Luana Lucena for the University of Houston Center for Public History. Produced by Kristina Neumann.*** 

Oral Histories and Film:

• Jon Schwartz, This is Our Home, It is Not for Sale (1987). For the full film, please contact the filmmaker at dashhamm@aol or see the UH Libraries Digital Archives at https://exhibits.lib.uh.edu/s/tioh/page/welcome and https://av.lib.uh.edu/media_objects/j3860694x .
• “Lawson, William Rev.” October 20, 2004. Oral Histories from the Houston History Project, Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. Audio recording. Accessed August 19, 2026. https://av.lib.uh.edu/media_objects/jd472w54s. 
• “Interview with Gene Locke.” July 21, 2006. Oral History of Houston, Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. Transcript and audio recording. Accessed October 24, 2025. https://av.lib.uh.edu/media_objects/cc08hf75k.  

To Learn More:

• Anderson. Michael. 2017. “Eldreway Stearns and Houston’s Student Rights Movement”. Houston History Magazine. Vol 14.2. 
• Behnken, Brian D. 2005. "Count on Me: Reverend M. L. Price of Texas, a Case Study in Civil Rights Leadership”.  Journal of American Ethnic History. Vol. 25.1: 61-84.
• Berman, David. 1998. Untold Stories: The Strange Demise of Jim Crow in Houston.
• Black History Month: Dr. Halcyon Sadberry Watkins Recalls Houston’s First Sit-in. 20 January 2016. https://fabsculture.com/dr-halcyon-sadberry-watkins-recalls-houstons-first-sit-in/.
• Block, Robinson. 2010. “Afro-Americans for Black Liberation and the Fight for Civil Rights at the University of Houston.” Houston History 8.1: 24–28.
• Cole, T. R. 1997. No Color Is My Kind: The Life of Eldrewey Stearns and the Integration of Houston. Austin, TX. University of Texas Press.
•  Conyers, James L., Jr. 2019. “Honoring the UH African American Studies Program’s 50th Anniversary.” Houston History 17.1: 7–11.
•  "Houston Civil Rights Movement Pioneer and TSU Alumna Holly Hogrobrooks Passes." Texas Southern University. News Media.
•  "Houston Woman Remembers Bloody Sunday." 7 March 2015. KHOU.com.
•  LaRotta, Alex. “The TSU Riot, 50 Years Later.” Houston Chronicle, May 17, 2017. Updated May 17, 2017. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/The-TSU-Riot-50-years-later-11149852.php  .
•  Mendoza, Moises. 2010. “Houston Honors TSU Pioneers for Sit-in that Made Strides”. Houston Chronicle. Chron.com.
•  Pegoda, Andrew Joseph. 2010. “The University of Houston and Texas Southern University: Perpetuating ‘Separate but Equal’ in the Face of Brown v. Board of Education.” Houston History 8.1: 19–23.
• Rivas Alfaro, Cindy. 2024. “Celebrating Juneteenth at UH: Making Black History Known.” The Daily Cougar, June 19, 2024. https://thedailycougar.com/2024/06/19/celebrating-juneteenth-at-uh-making-black-history-known/.
• Scott, Bethany. 2022. “University of Houston Integration Records: A Difficult Path to Desegregation.” Houston History 20.1: 27–31.
•  "Struggles and Success: Sections from the Handbook of African American Texans." 2015. Texas State Historical Commission.
•  University of Houston. 2022–23 Graduate Catalog. Houston: University of Houston Office of the University Registrar, 2022. Accessed October 24, 2025. https://publications.uh.edu/content.php?catoid=45&navoid=16561.

Additional Resources:

• African American History Research Center at the Gregory School: https://houstonlibrary.org/aahrc 
• University of Houston Special Collections: https://libraries.uh.edu/special-collections/ 
• The Houston Public Library: https://houstonlibrary.org/aahrc 
• The Houston Public Library Digital Archives: https://houstonlibrary.org/digital-archives 
• Texas Southern University: https://tsu.edu/about/history.php 
• The Houston Post, now The Houston Chronicle newspaper: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/

Music and audio courtesy of: 

Pixabay Music Creators: Turning_Pages, alex-morgan, moodmode, Blackbird1977, OpenUseMusic, DJPetrStudio, alanajordan, Andrewfai, DesiFreeMusic

Free Music Archive:
Lobo Loco – “Burning Sunshine” CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Freesound.org:
FoolBoyMedia – “New York Jazz Loop” CC BY-NC 4.0 
CollectionOfMemories – “Lo-fi Loop”; “Blues improvisation” CC BY 4.0

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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Step inside the Progressive Amateur Boxing Association, where the walls carry decades of history, pride, resilience, and community. In this special episode, graduate student Gabriel Griffin sits down with Coach Ray Martin Jr., who has spent 32 years carrying forward the mission his father began in 1969. Founded as a safe haven for Black youth during the Civil Rights era, the gym has grown into a multigenerational cornerstone of Third Ward identity—shaping lives through discipline, mentorship, and hope. This episode explores the history, transformation, and enduring spirit of a community institution that continues to fight for the future. 

This episode was researched and recorded by Gabriel Griffin for the Center for Public History at the University of Houston. 

To Learn More: 

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialProgressiveAmateurBoxingAssociation/

Instagram @pababoxinggym

Defender News Service. "PABA continues to make community impact." Defender, June 21, 2019.  

Jennifer Mathieu. "Fighting Chances." HoustonPress, April 15, 1999. 

Music and audio courtesy of: 

Pixabay Music:
Skilsel - "Energetic Hip-Hop"
MrWashington - "Boom Bap radio"
ARPMedia - "LoFi Hiphop"
TOOONE - "45 SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE"
kontraa - "Hype | Drill Music"
mirostar - "HipHop Beat - HipHop"
The_Mountain - "Hip Hop Street" 

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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In this special episode, University of Houston graduate student Marquel Sennet takes us to church at the historic Wesley A.M.E. Church - a cornerstone of faith, community, and activism in Houston's Third Ward for more than a century. This church played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement, including the meeting where Heman Marion Sweatt agreed to challenge segregation in the landmark Supreme Court case that paved the way for Brown v. Board of Education. Pastor John F. White II and longtime members Carl Davis and Juanita Williams reflect on Wesley A.M.E.'s enduring legacy—and its bold new future as a center for preserving Black history and gospel music.

This episode was researched and recorded by Marquel Sennet for the Center for Public History at the University of Houston. 

To Learn More: 

Lavergne, Gary M. Before Brown: Heman Marion Sweatt, Thurgood Marshall, and the Long Road to Justice. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010.

Pitre, Merlin. In Struggle against Jim Crow: Lulu B. White and the NAACP, 1900-1957. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1999.

Walker, Aswad. “Historic Gospel Music Museum, Affordable Housing Coming to Third Ward.” Defender Network, April 12, 2024. 

Walker, Aswad. “Houston-Area Church Spotlight: Wesley AME Church.” Defender Network, October 2, 2022. 

Wesley A.M.E. Church. “About Us.” Wesley A.M.E. Church Houston. https://wearewesley.org/about-us/.

Oral Histories conducted by Marquel Sennet:
Carl Davis, Wesley A.M.E. Historian
Pastor John F. White II
Juanita Williams, Wesley A.M.E. Church Member

Music and audio courtesy of:

Wesley A.M.E. Church, service recorded on October 26, 2025

Pixabay Music:
djovan - "Gospel Bells for Peace on Earth"
Misselle - "Awake, Awake! - (Isaiah 52)", "Before They Hated You - John 15)"
OpenMindAudio - "Gospel Unity Anthem - Stand Together", "Gospel Revival Anthem - Revival Night"
Lilex - "Shout for Joy"
alanajordan - "Happy Happy Happy"

Free Music Archive:

Lobo Loco - "Go On (ID 2268)" (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), "Woke up This Morning - Jazz Organ" (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) 

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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In this special episode, UH graduate students Valeria Gonzalez, Asher Gonzalez-Ortiz, and Amelia White tell the story of the Turkey Day Classic, an annual Houston football game between Third Ward’s Jack Yates High School and the Fifth Ward’s Phillis Wheatley High School that was played from 1947-1966. Relive the pageantry, parades, and excitement of the event billed as Houston’s Black Super Bowl, including one homecoming queen’s spectacular arrival at the game. 

This episode was researched and recorded by Valeria Gonzalez, Asher Gonzalez-Ortiz, and Amelia White for the Center for Public History at the University of Houston. 

To Learn More: 

Hurd, Michael. Thursday Night Lights: The Story of Black High School Football in Texas. University of Texas Press, 2017.  

Robins, Thurman W. Requiem for a Classic: Thanksgiving Turkey Day Classic, 2nd ed. AuthorHouse, 2016.  

Washington, Aman and Justin Thompson. "The Turkey Day Classic, Houston's Biggest Football Rivalry." Houston History Magazine 14, no. 1, (Fall 2016): 36-41. 

Listen to the Entire Oral History Interviews in the UH Libraries  Special Collection: 

Houston History Magazine Interview with Yates Alumni - https://av.lib.uh.edu/media_objects/6682x405k  

Houston History Magazine Interview with Wheatley Alumni - https://av.lib.uh.edu/media_objects/79407x312 

Music and Sound Effects Courtesy of: 

https://www.freepd.com/misc.php

https://freesound.org:

• College Football Game
• Helicopter circles three times overhead

Free Music Archive:

• TILT Brass - "Waterloo No. 2 (1986)" - CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
• Ketsa - "Priorities" - CC BY 4.0 
• Ketsa - "This-Way-For-Joyous-Street" - CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 
• Lobo Loco - "Swinging Sofas (ID 272)-Remastered" - CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

Pixabay Music:

• MrClaps_
• Freesound Community
• Dragon-Studio

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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Part of doing public history is exploring the ways in which moments of the past are disseminated and interpreted outside academia. In this special episode, playwright Nicole Burton and director Rikki Howie Lacewell sit down with Dr. Debbie Harwell (Instructional Assistant Professor of History, University of Houston) to discuss their stage adaptation of her book, Wednesdays in Mississippi: Proper Ladies Working for Radical Change, Freedom Summer 1964 (University Press of Mississippi, 2016). Both page and play detail the civil rights initiative led by Dorothy Height of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). Together with Polly Cowan, their plan was to send interracial and interfaith teams of northern women down to Mississippi during 1964 as a way of supporting rural Black communities and civil rights workers. Beyond delivering aid, these women quietly fostered change by holding intimate, cross-racial meetings with Southern women, where honest conversations helped shift attitudes and build grassroots support for the civil rights movement. While neither Burton nor Howie Lacewell readily identifies as a public historian, their efforts to convey underrepresented histories are firmly grounded in archival research and oral history methods. Even so, both stress that it’s not just about the facts - it’s about cultivating an experience for audiences to connect with the truth of the past.  

To learn more about the play, Wednesdays in Mississippi, read coverage here. 

For more on Nicole Burton and her work:

• https://www.nicolejburton.com/ 
• www.pipelineplaywrights.org

For more about Rikki Howie Lacewell: https://www.confidencetheatrics.com/about

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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In this special episode, Miranda Ruzinsky and Katie Truax – UH graduate students in public history – highlight the tradition of community support in Third Ward demonstrated through the institutions and public spaces associated with the funeral process. The role of black-owned businesses, churches and religious leaders, and public remembrance like murals are central to the neighborhood’s resilience in difficult times of death and grief.  

This episode was researched, recorded, and produced by Miranda Ruzinsky and Katie Truax for the Center for Public History at the University of Houston. 

To learn more: 

Beverly, Trevia Wooster. “At Rest: A Historical Directory of Harris County, Texas Cemeteries (1822-2001).” Reference Material, n.d. Genealogy Collection. Houston History Research Center. 

Bruines, Myron. “Walter Allen Ford.” Funeral Program. McCoy & Harrison Funeral Home: 4918 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Houston (Tex.), 77021; Jones Memorial United Methodist Church: 2504 Almeda Genoa Road, Houston (Tex.), 77047; Houston Memorial Gardens: 2426 Cullen Boulevard, Pearland (Tex.), 77581, April 14, 2016. African American Funeral Programs. Houston Public Library Digital Archives.  

Houston Mural Map. https://houstonmuralmap.com/. 

Najarro, Ileana. “Black Funeral Homes in Danger in Some U.S., Houston Communities.” Houston Chronicle, January 23, 2019.  

“Our History - McCoy & Harrison Funeral Home,” June 11, 2018.  

Wilson, Ezell. “Third Ward, Steeped in Tradition of Self-Reliance and Achievement.” Houston History, April 18, 2011. 

All check out the amazing collections at the African American History Research Center at the Gregory Campus. 

Oral Histories conducted by Miranda Ruzinsky:  

Dickson, Pastor Donald, Interview, March 9, 2024. 

McCoy Abernathy, Helen. Interview, February 24, 2024. 

Music courtesy of:

Freesound.org

"remix of 45145__hammerklavier__GOSPEL_INTRO_TRADITIONAL_even_BRIGHTER_reverbed.wav" by Timbre. CC BY-NC 4.0. 

"Street Gospel Hip Hip Piano - 75bpm - Bbmaj" by nnaudio. CC BY 4.0.   

Freemusicarchive.org

"Little Wooden Church" by The Trumpeteers. PDM 1.0.   

"Free Spacy Organ (F 003)" by Lobo Loco. CC BY-SA 4.0.  

https://sarah-bereza.com/hymn-accompaniments/

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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All over the United States, communities and individuals banded together to support the country during the Second World War. Houston’s Third Ward was no different in this respect. In this special episode, UH graduate students Austin Lee and James Burke weave together accounts originally documented in the African American newspaper, The Houston Informer. From the men and women in the armed forces to the merchant marine sailing supply ships and the volunteers on the home front, Third Ward residents supported their country even amid segregation and racism. After the war, many of these same volunteers returned to their community and gave back in the form of long careers serving their neighbors. 

This episode was written and recorded by Austin Lee and James Burke for the Center for Public History at the University of Houston. 

An archive of the Houston Informer can be found at the African American History Research Center at the Gregory School, a part of the Houston Public Library system. 

Music courtesy of:
OpenMusicArchive.org
Don’t Go ‘Way Nobody performed by George Lewis & His New Orleans Stompers and written by Buddy Bolden.  PDM.
In The Dark-Flashes performed by Jess Stacy and written by Bix Beiderbeck.  PDM.

freemusicarchive.org/
“Taboret,” “Rate Sheet,” “Lacquer Groove,” “The Coil Winds,” and “Ray Gun – FasterFasterBrighter” by Blue Dot Sessions. CC BY-NC 4.0. 

https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
Anchor's Away. Performed by Navy Band. 

Sound Effects by:
Freesound.org
S17-10 Depth charge with water sounds.wav by craigsmith.  CC0 1.0.
old typewriter sounds by Grauda 1982.  CC0 1.0.
06 Warsaw Długa street in february 2012 about 3 PM.wav by MaciekKubera. CC0 1.0.
Waves by Bittermelonheart. CC0 1.0. 

Day of Infamy Speech courtesy of the National Archives:
President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” Speech. John G. Bradley. PDM.

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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In 1977, thousands of women gathered in Houston, Texas, for the first and only federally funded National Women’s Conference (NWC) in U.S. History. Their purpose was to set and deliver an agenda to the president that would ensure that women’s rights would be a central focus in the wider human rights debate. 

The Sharing Stories from 1977 Project, led by Dr. Leandra Zarnow (Associate Professor of History, University of Houston) and Dr. Nancy Beck Young (Moores Professor of History & Director of CPH, University of Houston), seeks to preserve and amplify this important political moment through a massive, crowdsourced digital archive. In Part I of their conversation, Drs. Zarnow and Beck Young introduce their practice of “big biography” - capturing the lives and demographics of over 2,000 delegates, 30,000 conference observers, and 150,000 regional participants. They emphasize that the success of this monumental project is only possible through the collective efforts of educators, students, researchers, archivists, and NWC participants from across the country. 

In Part II of this episode, Drs. Zarnow and Beck Young are joined by three such collaborators - Dr. Judy Tzu-Chun Wu (Professor of History and Asian American Studies, University of California, Irvine), Dr. Stacie Taranto (Associate Professor of History, Ramapo College), and Dr. Emily Westkaemper (Associate Professor of History, James Madison University). They discuss how Sharing Stories has promoted strong intergenerational exchange, especially as students realize that many of the issues of the 1970s are still the issues of today. 

Check out this amazing project: https://sharingstories1977.uh.edu/discover

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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The power of an archive to elevate an underrepresented community cannot be overstated. Since the early 1990s, Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Program ("Recovery") under Arte Público Press at the University of Houston has focused on collecting and making accessible the written legacy of Hispanic and Latino peoples from colonial times to the late 20th century. In 2017, this effort to expand the historical record of the US took new form with the establishment of the US Latino Digital Humanities Center (USLDH), the first of its kind in the country.

In Part I of this episode recorded in Fall 2023, Dr. Gabriela Baeza Ventura (Deputy Director for Arte Público; "Recovery" Director; USLDH Co-Director; Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies), Dr. Carolina Villarroel ("Recovery" Brown Foundation Director of Research and Co-Director of USLDH), and Dr. Lorena Gauthereau ("Recovery" Digital Programs Manager) discuss the deep community connections and trust fostered by their approach to the digital archive. Their insistence on sharing authority and inquiry with the people donating material breaks down academic barriers, while the respect they give to each item digitized - including adding bilingual metadata - increases accessibility and representation.

In Part II of this episode recorded in Fall 2024, we get to hear about the efficacy of this practice through the experience of three student interns (Monica Jiminez, Natalia Siboldi, and Yadira Hermosillo), who helped process one family’s archive - the Morales Funeral collection. An introduction to their work is provided by Mikaela Selley, CPH alum and "Recovery" Program Manager.

For more on the amazing work of "Recovery" and USLDH, check out the embedded links above.

See also the written publications of these scholars, including:
Baeza Ventura, Gabriela, María Eugenia Cotera, Linda García Merchant, Lorena Gauthereau, and Carolina Villarroel. "A U.S. Latinx Digital Humanities Manifesto" in Debates in the Digital Humanities 2023. Edited by Matthew K. Gold and Lauren F. Klein, 2023.

Baeza Ventura, Gabriela, Nicolás Kanellos and Carolina Villarroel. “Twenty-Five Years of Recovering Our Written Legacy” in Writing/Righting History: Twenty-Five Years of Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage. Edited by Antonia Castañeda and Clara Lomas. Houston, Arte Público Press, 2020, 5-18.

Transition music: "Por Medio De La Lectura" by Los Amparito. CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 MX.

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph

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A historian and two engineers walk into a conference….

Rather than the start to a joke, this is a core component of the project, "Algorithms and Power Systems Architecture: Using Historical Analysis to Envision a Sustainable Future.” Led by Dr. Julie Cohn, a research historian (Center for Public History, University of Houston), and two electrical engineers, Dr. Daniel Molzahn (Assistant Professor in the School of Electorical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech) and Dr. Sairaj Dhople (Oscar A. Schott Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota), this interdisciplinary team is united by a shared vision that building the power grid of the future depends on a thorough understanding of the past and the people and ideas behind the technology. In their conversation recorded in January 2024, Drs. Cohn, Molzahn, and Dhople discuss one portion of the project: collecting oral histories from academic and industry leaders in electrical and power systems engineering. From the inclusiveness of their methodology to the enthusiastic response of the engineering community, it is evident how productive these kinds of partnerships between the humanities and STEM can be.

Check out the project: https://sites.google.com/view/power-systems-history/home

Learn more about the project leads:
Dr. Julie Cohn - The Grid: Biography of an American Technology (MIT Press, 2017)
Dr. Daniel Molzahn - https://molzahn.github.io 
Dr. Sairaj Dhople - https://cse.umn.edu/ece/sairaj-dhople  

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph