On Tuesday, Prof. Fabiola López-Durán and Prof. Farès El Dahdah led students from their seminar "HART 462/662 - The Whiteness of Green: A History of Racialized Landscapes" on a class trip to Freedmen's Town, the oldest Black settlement in Houston.
Founded in 1865 by formerly enslaved people from surrounding plantations in Texas and Louisiana, Freedmen's Town is a living testament to the perseverance of African Americans who, after finally getting their freedom on June 19, 1865 (over two years after the emancipation proclamation), built a vibrant community in the new city of Houston. It’s urban layout, some of the brick-paved streets, the school, some original churches and houses are still there just a few blocks away from downtown Houston.
A labyrinth, created by Houston artist Reginald Adams, commemorates the place where the former Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church used to be. The non-profit organization "Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy" has great plans for the preservation of the historical legacy of this important urban site.
[Photos: Fabiola López-Durán]
