Black Towns Matter Street Mural, Houston, TX

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Creator

Ange Hillz

Title

Black Towns Matter Street Mural, Houston, TX

Coverage

29.816931, -95.391891

Description

Black Towns Matter is written in yellow ("BLACK" and "MATTER") and red ("TOWNS") in paint on the pavement. The "O" of towns features a portrait of George O. Burgess, a black lawyer and the first mayor of Independence Heights, the first black municipality in Texas. The word TOWNS also includes a gray outline of a suburban cityscape, including a church steeple.

Source

The city of Independence Heights was the first African American incorporated city in Texas when it was founded in 1915. Located a few miles north of Downtown Houston, families were drawn to the location by the opportunity to own their own homes. Since then, it has relinquished its incorporation and become part of the larger city of Houston, as city limits have spread over the past hundred years. Through all these changes, the citizens of the area remain in touch with their heritage as descendants of city founders and proud African Americans. 

During the summer of 2020, the nation was in uproar, calling for changes to be made in the way African-American citizens were treated. With the rise of street art and murals addressing these issues, the Independence Heights community was not to be left out.  

In June 2020, Independence Heights’ Redevelopment Council director Tanya Debose reached out to the director of the University of Houston Community Design Resource Center Susan Rogers in order to see what could be done. Together, they planned to make a statement by painting a street art mural on Link Road in Independence Heights right off Main Street. To accomplish this, they enlisted the help of local artist Ange Hillz. Ange Hillz is a prolific artist born in Rwanda, who immigrated to the US. A work of his, depicting George Floyd, was featured on the cover of Time magazine on May 10, 2021. In the days leading up to Juneteenth in 2020, the painting of Link Road began.  

Spelled out on the street was the message “BLACK TOWNS MATTER”. Being the first African-American town in Texas is a point of pride for the community. To honor this, within the “O” of the original work was a portrait of George O. Burgess, the first mayor of the incorporated city. Today the work is upheld and remains a symbol and statement of the community to all who see it.  

Researched by the Urban Art Mapping Team


Image URL

News Coverage by ABC13, Houston Chronicle, and Rice Design Alliance

Tweet by Black Towns Matter on October 5, 2020

Facebook post by Independence Heights Neighborhood on June 21, 2020

Instagram post by Random Rules Studios on June 22, 2020

Rights

Artist: Ange Hillz

Photographer: Fred Agho

Publisher

Urban Art Mapping Research Project

Date

Contributor

LA

Spatial Coverage

Located along Link Road in Independence Heights

Is Referenced By

Geolocation

Comments

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