Mrs. Reece was born in 1929 in what is now Montgomery. Reece grew up in the outskirts of Conroe. Her most memorable childhood racist moment occurred when she was told that she could no longer check out books from a book store because of her race. Because of that incident, Reece vowed to become a librarian and allow every child to have access to books. Reece graduated high school in Oklahoma after the death of her sister. Reece heard about the lynching that occurred at the court house in the 1940s. Reece had difficulties finding schools in Texas that would allow her to get a degree in Library Science. She had to go to school in Denver. Reece received another degree in Atlanta during the 1950s. During that time, she met Martin Luther King, Jr. at his father's church. Reece spoke of the importance of education and the lack of resources at the library of Booker T. Washington. Reece discussed some resistance that she and other Black teachers carried out following integration. One notable act of resistance occurred when she refused to move to another school following integration.

Ms. Shaw was born and raised in Willis, Texas. Shaw described her experiences with racism and Jim Crow discrimination. Shaw discussed one surprising impact of racism in Willis, she was fearful of Halloween. During Halloween in Willis, white youth would throw things at Ms. Shaw's house. A great aunt of Shaw was able to live in the white part of Willis while a uncle of Shaw became the first Black person to vote in the Willis/Conroe area. The first time he was able to vote was when he was elderly in the mid-twentieth century. Shaw also discussed difficulties in the workplace in Conroe.

Mr. Carl White was born in Conroe and Mrs. Gloria White was born in Willis, Texas in 1957 respectively. After attending segregated schools, both Whites ultimately graduated from desegregated schools. Both Whites experienced workplace discrimination in their careers in a local factory and at the postal office. Mr. White also served as a reserve police officer in Conroe while his father served as one of the first Black police officers in Conroe. Mr. White described being targeted by police in Conroe and other issues with the local criminal justice system. Both Whites were also involved in the efforts to free Clarence Brandley which included marches and other demonstrations. Also, the Whites discussed issues with discrimination in the school system.

Mr. Vinson was born in Montgomery, Texas and raised in Conroe. He attended Booker T. Washington school and Conroe High, participating in football at both schools. After graduation, he went to work in Houston for a utility company. He returned to Conroe and became very active in political campaigns and community organizations. In his interview, Mr. Vinson described segregation in Conroe, a march in 1968, integration of schools, experiences playing football, discrimination at work, political activism in the African-American community, African-American community organizations, and how Conroe has changed over time.

Mr. Jones was born in Conroe and raised in both Tamina and near Conroe; his parents lived on two properties owned by Dr. Hayes and worked for him in various capacities. Mr. Jones described going to segregated schools, segregation in Conroe, and his time at Booker T. Washington school. He was at TSU in Houston during the riot and participated in a march to downtown. He was drafted into the military and discusses race relations in Germany during the Vietnam War. He returned to the US where he worked as a welder and engineer while pursuing a music career. He recently was photographed for a book on Tamina and described his experience going to see the exhibit at the Smithsonian. Mr. Jones provided a great description of segregation in Conroe, the environment at TSU, and Tamina.

Ms. Jones was born in Trinity, Texas. Her parents were educators, and she moved a lot as a child following them to different schools. When she graduated from high school in Conroe at Booker T. Washington, she briefly attended TSU. After a time in Michigan, she eventually began a career with the postal service in Houston, where she retired from a management position. In her interview, Ms. Jones describes segregation in Cleveland and Conroe, Texas, her educational career, her experiences in the north as compared to Texas, her career with the postal service and discrimination on the job, the current status of race relations in Conroe and efforts to reinvigorate the alumni association for Booker T. Washington school.

Ms. Easley was born and raised in Montgomery, Texas. She is the descendant of slaves from the area, and she has traced her lineage back to the arrival of her family in Texas. She attended segregated schools until ninth grade, graduated from Sam Houston State University, and began a successful corporate career in Houston. She returned to Montgomery where she retired. In her interview, Ms. Easley describes life and conditions in Montgomery when she was growing up, her families long history, the way her family sheltered her from the harshness of discrimination, her time at Sam Houston State, political activism, her career, and how Montgomery has changed over time.

Ms. Harris grew up in the rural outskirts of Conroe, Texas. Ms. Harris discussed the importance of sports, mainly football, in the lives of folks in Conroe. Having attended both segregated and integrated schools in Conroe, Ms. Harris discussed some differences in the experiences. Ms. Harris had a younger brother that was on the football team that threatened to strike in order to improve the representation of Black women on the cheer leading squad in the 1970s. Ms. Harris also discussed how social events like prom were canceled following integration for some years. Ms. Harris worked as a bus driver in Conroe schools for many years. Ms. Harris described how Black bus drivers feared driving their buses in the neighboring community of Cut and Shoot. Also Ms. Harris described a large Black family being run out of Cut and Shoot in the 1980s/1990s partially because the mother of the family had a larger house than her white neighbors.

Mr. Lee grew up in Conroe. He attended and graduated from Booker T. Washington. In the mid-1960s, he was part of a protest of Walgreen's drug store, demanding integration. He and two others were arrested for their actions and only released when the FBI intervened. Mr. Lee then worked several jobs before becoming a minister. In his interview, he describes segregation in Conroe, police brutality, the Walgreen's march, discrimination at work, Conroe Bible College, interracial relationships, and the continued struggles of the African-American community in Conroe. Mr. Proctor also grew up in Conroe. He attended Conroe's schools, graduated from high school, worked in the timber industry, and became a truck driver. In his interview, Mr. Proctor describes his experience growing up in Conroe in the 1980s and 1990s, the continued prevalence of racial discrimination, Ku Klux Klan recruiting efforts in the 1990s, a riot over Klan activity at the high school in the 1990s, the economic and systemic decline of the historically African-American parts of Conroe, and the many ways Conroe has re-segregated.

Mrs. Tolbert was born in 1943 in Cleveland. Tolbert grew up in Houston until she moved to Conroe in the 4th grade. Tolbert attended school in Bordersville while living in Houston. In Bordersville the neighborhood was integrated with a Mexican American and African American population. Tolbert graduated from Booker T. Washington in Conroe. She began working for law enforcement in 1984 after a few years of attempting. Tolbert experienced and witnessed explicit discrimination, racism, and sexism while working as a Deputy Sheriff in Montgomery County. Tolbert currently mentors young girls.

Letter from Mary Jones, wife of the last president of the Republic of Texas.

Photograph of the Dr. E.J. Arnold House in Montgomery, Texas.

Photograph of the Dr. E.J. Arnold House in Montgomery, Texas.

Photograph of the Dr. E.J. Arnold House in Montgomery, Texas.

Photograph of the Dr. E.J. Arnold House in Montgomery, Texas.

Photograph of the Dr. E.J. Arnold House in Montgomery, Texas.

Photograph of the Dr. E.J. Arnold House in Montgomery, Texas.

Weekly newspaper from Conroe, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Conroe, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Conroe, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Mr. Calyen was born and raised in Conroe, Texas. He lived in a segregated neighborhood and attended Booker T. Washington schools until 1966, when he participated in "freedom of choice" and attended Conroe High School. While in high school, he participated in three marches in 1964 and 1965 to protest continued discrimination. He graduated in 1968 and enrolled in the military. He spent a year in Vietnam and then moved to New York City, where he married and spent almost thirty years as a postal carrier. He then returned to Conroe where he has remained active in his community. Mr. Calyen described race relations in Conroe in the 50s and 60s, segregation and integration, the black community, the impact of the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, his experiences in New York as compared to Conroe, and community activism in Conroe since the 1990s.

Photograph of Montgomery County Courthouse in Conroe, TX. A road and a line of parking spaces span the width of the paved ground in front of the flat-roofed courthouse, with a single car parked in one of the lot spaces. A sidewalk runs in front of the parking spaces with parking meters set at regular intervals on it. A green lawn containing short green trees and lines of bushes sits between the sidewalk and the courthouse, interrupted only by a walkway that leads up to the entrance of the courthouse. A base made of bricks sits in front of the stairs leading up to the courthouse's doors and has two flagpoles on it, one with the Texas flag and the other with the American flag. An overhang with the words "Montgomery County Courthouse" on it in brown letters is held up by white rectangular columns, providing shade over the doors that lead into the courthouse. On either side of this part of the building are additional sections that extend farther out onto the lawn, both with a single row of tall windows spanning the building's width. Behind this initial building is a second one made mostly of white stone, towering …

Weekly newspaper from Conroe, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Report on economic forecast and outlook for the Gulf Coast Region describing expected economic change for various industries, employment growth, and county-level analyses.