Monday, June 12, 2023 8:43 PM
Houston, Texas (KTRK) – It’s a neighborhood just west of downtown that you may have passed through, but never known for its rich history.
This neighborhood is now known as Midtown or the 4th Ward, but its original name was Freedmen’s Town, a thriving black community built by former slaves.
After the Emancipation Proclamation, many former slaves came to Houston to form a community on the banks of Buffalo Bayou, but since Houston was still racially segregated, they had to do everything themselves, right down to the brick streets.
“This place was notable because it was the original Black Wall Street in Houston. It was a place of business and commerce. The first black lawyers, doctors and hospitals,” said Zion Escobar of the Freedmen’s Town Conservancy.
For more than three decades, Melanie Lawson has covered the Forth Ward neighborhood as it changed, as many impoverished residents – 90% of whom were renters – were evicted by developers. Widening roads and dilapidated homes have been replaced by elegant townhouses in a sought-after location close to the city centre.
Despite the historical classification, historians and activists want to showcase more of his rich legacy and believe the time is right.
“I see a very bright future for the city of Friedman. And I think it can be complete and functioning in the whole city of Friedman, and it’s one of those that remain in all of America. And so I think it’s brilliance and its birthright can be restored with the right investment.” “So we invite all Houstonians to take an interest in the City of Friedman to cherish this gem and understand the story more intimately because it is your story too, if you are part of the Houston story.”
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https://abc13.com/freedmens-town-history-juneteenth-fourth-ward/13373312/
