The Vanishing Black Towns of Texas

Summary

Nearly 20 all-black towns sprung up across Texas after the Civil War as former slaves and freedmen struggled westward to find a sense of home in a society controlled by whites. Today pieces of these towns still exist - but they are quickly vanishing.

Project Proposal

Between 1865 and 1915 at least 60 black towns were established across America as former slaves and freedmen labored to find financial and social autonomy in a land of racial prejudice. Their movement westward, sometimes called the "Black Exodus" began in Kansas, moved to Oklahoma (where there were dreams of an all-black state), and finally trickled onward to Texas and beyond. They were black pioneers in search of a promised land.

Today some of these towns are still in existence - but they are quickly vanishing. In Texas alone, historians calculate there were nearly 20 all-black towns. Today that number has dwindled to around eight. I propose to document photographically the life today in two of these towns.

Peyton Colony, formerly known as Board House is one such town. Founded in 1865, the original settlement now consists of only one small church -- but descendants of the initial pioneers continue to hang on. Many current residents still ranch and live on the land their forefathers obtained by preemption.

Kendleton, outside of Houston, has a different story to tell. Founded by former slaves of William E. Kendall who bought pieces of his plantation for small farms, the town has grown from 25 residents in 1890 to 451 residents in the year 2000. It boasts a school, a sawmill and a mayor. Unlike other black towns in Texas, it has grown through the years.

Documenting the daily life of these two contrasting towns would not only create a record for history - it would put faces on a vanishing piece of the American past and help promote racial understanding and awareness. African-American contributions to the creation of the west have often been overlooked by scholars or forgotten in our collective American history. Through this project these tiny historical enclaves of freedom can be preserved - thereby providing a new sense of cultural insight and pride for all races.

As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, I am intimately interested in the intersection of American and African cultures and how the history of slavery affects our future as a nation. Over 100 years after Reconstruction, we in the U.S. are still struggling with issues of race, inequity and residential segregation. I propose we use our past to give credit and respect to all of America's forefathers -- black and white -- and help us light a new path into the future.