If you live in or have just heard of Texas, you know about our barbecue — particularly brisket. It’s one of the foods most strongly associated with the state. Heck, it may as well be on our flag. And of all the other states with a strong identification with a particular food (Wisconsin and cheese […]
Category: Texana
Posted inCulture
If You Don’t Already Know Heman Sweatt’s Name, It’s Time to Learn It
This fall semester is my first time teaching college history. Incidentally, it also marks the 75th anniversary of the first time Black students were admitted into formerly segregated colleges and universities in this nation. As a Black adjunct professor, one of my goals is to teach younger generations how long ago events impact the lives […]
Posted inCulture
I Learned a Whitewashed Version of Texas History in School. Journalism Taught Me the Stories That Got Left Out.
I still remember my last high school football game on the Red Oak Hawkette drill team. I was 17, and our dance group had spent hours rehearsing in our maroon leotards and bright white ankle boots with mini silver bolo ties on the side. We wore nude dance tights and white hats with matching maroon […]
Posted inTexana
Texas’ Official History Museum Hides More Than It Shows
The Bullock Texas State History Museum is an impressive piece of Texana, a hulking granite-faced structure across the street from the University of Texas campus. Step inside and you’re confronted with a giant mural of longhorns, horses, and cowboys that promises to tell you “The Story of Texas.” There are equally oversized quotes from famed […]
Posted inCulture
The ‘King of the Hill’ Reboot Will Heal Your Complicated Relationship With Texas
If you live in Texas, you probably have a complicated relationship with the state. As in: You love Willie Nelson, but you hate Ted Cruz. You’re proud of Buddy Holly, but then you remember Joe Rogan moved here and started talking like he invented barbecue. We gave the world Beyoncé, Selena, and Wes Anderson — […]
Posted inOpinion
Happy July 4. Everything You Love About America Was Made by Black People.
Black women are intrinsic to the fabric of America. Grace Wisher, a Black girl from Baltimore, assisted in the creation of the American flag. Harriet Tubman led Union soldiers to victory at the Combahee Ferry Raid during the Civil War. There is no United States without Black people. It was Black women and men who […]
Posted inCulture
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Are Superheroes in Sequins
Texas hasn’t gotten its due as a major piece in the complex puzzle of American art. We’re here to rectify that. Every three weeks, H. Drew Blackburn will conduct a thoroughly scientific analysis of the 254 integral (one for every county) books, movies, tv shows, albums, podcasts, songs, and magazine articles — you name it […]
Posted inCulture
Churches Helped John S. Chase Become Texas’ First Licensed Black Architect. Now, They’re Landmarks.
In 1957, when the pastor of Boynton Chapel Methodist Church was looking for a larger facility, the congregation of the church in Houston’s Third Ward settled on a young Black architect to design it. John Saunders Chase, who would have turned 100 this year, was the first licensed Black architect in Texas and preached the […]
Posted inCulture
How Houston Traffic Made My Marriage Stronger
This story contains descriptions of mental illness and suicidal ideation and may be triggering for some readers. If you or anyone you know is struggling, please contact the the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Like any true Houstonian, I’m obsessed with our traffic. Since we’re the home of six out of 10 of the most […]
Posted inArts
A Dripping Springs Artist Talks Serendipity, Love of the Craft, and the ‘Fire in Her Belly’
On a recent Friday morning, I drove my daughter and four of her classmates from their school in central Austin to Dripping Springs for a seventh grade field trip. Three rows of girls yell-sang Olivia Rodrigo as I contemplated my life choices. Fridays are supposed to be my writing day. Two years ago, I quit […]