Programs and Education
FEED A CAT A CHRISTMAS COOKIE and Help Us Bring Important Programming to The Heritage Society!
We are excited to announce a groundbreaking exhibit that highlights the rich heritage and history of the Karankawa people at The Heritage Society. This is an unprecedented collaboration between the Karankawa community and our museum, and we need your support to make the accompanying programming a reality!
Our goal is to raise funds for three engaging events scheduled for February and March that will educate and enrich the Houston community. These events include:
1. A lecture by Chiara Beaumont on the rediscovery and revival of the Karankawa language.
2. A talk from Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, Curator of Anthropology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, focusing on the important topic of repatriation.
3. A panel discussion featuring tribal elders, museum professionals, and historians, addressing the collaborative methodology behind the exhibit, the impact of colonial myths, and the process of trust-building between the Karankawa and academic outsiders.
This programming is cucial not only for the Karankawa people, who have received little scholarly attention over the years, but also for the broader Houston community. It presents a rare opportunity to engage with and learn from indigenous voices, fostering greater understanding, recognition, and support for native cultures. Moreover, this initiative aims to preserve and revitalize the Karankawa language and traditions.
Your generous contributions will help us cover costs associated with speakers, materials, and honorariums for tribal participants. Every dollar counts and will directly support the development of this vital programming that honors the heritage of the Karankawa and promotes meaningful dialogue within our community.
Join us in making history and ensuring that the voices of the Karankawa people are heard and celebrated. Thank you for your support! Together, we can create a powerful and lasting impact!
The Heritage Society’s exhibits, tours, events, and programs are funded in part by a grant from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. Funding for these grants has been provided by Humanities Texas and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the federal ARP Act.
HISTORY ON TAP
December
PAST PROGRAMS
The Heritage Society is toasting to its “History on Tap” program that promises to be a hoppy hour to remember. North Shepherd Brewing, close to Downtown, is hosting history presentations on Tuesday, October 15 and Tuesday, November 19. Just in time for Halloween and Oktoberfest, our board member, Dr. Don Williams will be enlightening the audience about how Houston was founded and then share interesting tidbits about Houston’s families’ graves and lots. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free to the public.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
U.S. Army First Sergeant (Retired) Dr. Donald R. Williams has just completed his PhD from Walden University. He is a lifetime member of The Heritage Society and a Texas Historian. His dissertation is titled "Substance Abuse Disorders and Veteran Homelessness". This degree caps off his educational journey as he started off as a high school dropout from Charles H. Milby Sr. High School, where he is now a teacher and Jr. R.O.T.C. instructor.
He travels throughout Texas studying and photographing historical sites including homes, historical markers, and cemeteries of Texas families. He also is connected to other historical organizations such as Sam Houston Memorial Museum. He recently attended Sam Houston Memorial Museum’s Texas Independence Day/Sam Houston’s Birthday celebration and met up with Alison and Joanne.
One of his talents is expressively reciting poetry. He has memorized and performed poems of Mayou Angelou and speech excerpts of Martin Luther King, Jr. He has also spoken on behalf of THS for a Juneteenth program for ARAMCO, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (poetry and parade), and Dia de los Muertos (live commentator on this day of remembrance).
EXHIBIT PROGRAMS
The Agatha Babino's Story Workshop and Lecture Series is guaranteed to expand your understanding of the conditions of life in the past. Diving into the circumstances of Agatha's life helps broaden our appreciation for family connections and the ability of generations of African Americans to thrive despite various impeding obstacles.
Thursday, September 5, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Learning from the Texas WPA Slave Narratives
Dr. Ronald Goodwin, Prairie View A&M University
Join us for an engaging and enlightening evening with Dr. Goodwin as we discuss the complex dynamics of the Works Progress Administration and the Slave Narrative interviews conducted with formerly enslaved Texans.
Dr. Ronald Goodwin, Professor and Interim Department Head from Prairie View A&M University, will discuss the collection of interviews of formerly enslaved people conducted in Texas during the 1930s. Dr. Goodwin is a distinguished author, historian, and scholar who has devoted his professional life to uplifting and educating others about the historical accomplishments and contributions of African Americans. Since 2019, he has served as the general editor of the PVAMU Book Series at Texas A&M University Press.
Dr. Goodwin will delve into various interviews from the WPA Slave Narratives. The Slave Narratives is one of the most recognizable projects of the Works Progress Administration. In his book Remembering the Days of Sorrow, Goodwin closely examines the words and impressions offered by formerly enslaved interviewees. Formerly enslaved Texans shared their experiences of suffering under the burden of both slavery and the devastation of the 1930s. Dr. Goodwin's lecture will also specifically shed light on the Texas New Deal era by citing examples from his work, The New Deal and Texas History: Saving the Past through Hardship and Turmoil.
Wednesday, September 18, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Exploring Familial Connections through Art
April M. Frazier, Community Artists' Collective
Enjoy the talented April Frazier's artistic interpretations of family history. Through meaningful interactions and immersive experiences, the program will encourage and enable participants to express their creativity. Participants will create family-inspired artwork using a photo, artifact, or memory they bring with them. Supplies provided.
April M. Frazier is a creative photographer and artist who traces her roots in Texas from the era of enslavement to the present through an innovative fusion of unearthed artifacts, ancestral images, and decades of research. She is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University and the Jones School of Business at Rice University, where she received her MBA. Following a lengthy 15-year experience in the oil and gas sector, April founded her own photography company in 2011. In early 2024, she accepted the role of Assistant Director and Photographic Education Coordinator at the Community Artists' Collective.
One of her most cherished and ongoing projects is to construct a genealogy picture of her family's enslaved migration from Africa to Jamaica and various places in the United States by photographing the terrain of her ancestral roots in Texas and fusing it with family relics. Her images have been showcased in exhibitions at galleries in London, New York, Texas, and Oregon.
Thursday, October 3, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Beaumont's Black History in Moving Pictures
Gordon S. Williams, Lamar University
We invite you to a special screening and discussion of two short films that shed light on the history of African Americans in Beaumont. Go back in time to experience the successes and challenges of Texas’s past. Followed by Q&A with the film’s director and producer, Gordon Williams.
Gordon S. Williams is the Lamar University Television Studio Operations Manager and adjunct instructor for LUTV News. Gordon serves as an advisor to the Jefferson County Historical Commission, a board member of the Boomtown Film Festival, and the Center for Culture and History of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast. Gordon is a recipient of Special Congressional Recognition for his efforts to convey information about Beaumont's past and his decades-long experience training content creators at Lamar University.
As an accomplished creator, his work has played at more than seventy film festivals and universities across the United States. Join Williams for the showing of "Beaumont's Black History- In Moving Pictures," which uses the critically acclaimed short films "The Example" and "They Will Talk About Us: The Charlton-Pollard Story" to shed light on the history of African Americans in Beaumont.
This program is supported by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Rice University Humanities Research Center. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition and its programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Texas, or the Rice University Humanities Research Center.
