Feliz Abalos was born (1979) and raised in Odessa, Texas. Abalos graduated from Odessa High School in 1996 a semester early and attended one spring semester at Sul Ross State University. She graduated from the University of Houston in 2001 and then attended law school at Ohio Northern University Abalos has been chair of the Ector County Democratic Party. She has worked in various local political campaigns since she was a child. Abalos was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Premium Basin Planned Parenthood.

Delma Abalos was born and raised in Odessa, Texas. She attended Odessa College as well as the University of Texas-Permian Basin. Abalos gained her undergraduate degree in political science and her master’s degree in history. She now teaches courses in history, including Mexican American history, at Odessa College. Delma also served within the Ector County ISD board of trustees.

Dr. Morris Baker was born in 1939 in Ranger, Texas, the son of a mechanic and a domestic worker. As a child in Ranger, Baker lived in a mixed neighborhood of Mexican Americans, poor whites, and African Americans. Although, Ranger had segregated black and brown neighborhoods as well. Baker attended a one-room, all-black school called Slaughter Ward Elementary up to 6th grade. From 6th to 10th grade, Baker had to be bused to Eastland, where education ended for African Americans before they could obtain a high school Diploma. Thus, when the Brown v. Board dissension came in, his parents simply signed him up for classes in the white Ranger High School. Baker was allowed to attend as long as he did not socialize with the white high school female students or attend many of the school’s social events. He graduated as the school’s first African American graduate in 1957. Other African Americans followed. Baker then graduated from Cisco College (A.A. 1959), McMurry University (B.A. in Biology 1963), Harvard University (M.Ed. 1970), The Ohio State University (Ph.D. in clinical psychology 1976). Baker has worked for the Peace Corps, public schools in Los Angeles, California and other cities, and has taught at …

Dallas “Dally” Willis was born in 1920 in Dallas, Texas but grew up in Cleburne, Texas, raised by a single mother of seven children after his father abandoned the family. Willis attended high school in Cleburne and joined the Marine Corps in 1941. In the Marine Corps, Willis worked as an aerial photographer mapping the Pacific territories controlled by Japan. Upon returning to Cleburne, Willis worked for Southwestern Bail and joined the Communication Workers of America union. He moved to Midland, Texas in 1949. From 1961 to 2005 he served within the CWA’s Political and Legislative Committee, lobbying in the Texas Legislature. Dally also began the Labor Day Celebration of the Permian Basin in 1957. He has been a delegate for the DNC convention and was the decades long president of the Permian Basin Central Labor Union.

Lilia Escajeda was born in El Paso, Texas. She grew up between El Paso, Van Horn, and Amarillo; and she remembers going to segregated schools in Van Horn. She settled in Amarillo as an adult after her husband died, and she eventually became the first female loan-officer for any bank in Amarillo, at the Amarillo National Bank. She joined various community organizations, boards, and became both the first Mexican American women Amarillo College board member and City Commissioner (later City Council Member).

Hector Mendez was raised in Big Lake, Texas and attended Angelo State University, where he was part of the Mexican American Student organization that called for ethnic studies in the university. He later attended the university of Texas Permian Basin for his master’s degree in education. He became the superintendent of Ector County Independent School District in the 2000s as conservative trustees led the district.

Karen Hildebrand was born in Odessa, Texas in 1958. She graduated from Permian High School in 1976 and attended Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, where she graduated in 1981. Hildebrand returned to Odessa and worked for various non-profits, including Planned Parenthood. She served various capacities within Planned Parenthood, including becoming CEO for twenty-three years. Hildebrand has also served in the Peace Corps, earned a Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas-Permian Basin, and now heads for a women’s crisis center.

Interview with Odel Crawford, president and CEO Black Chamber of Commerce of the Permian Basin. Crawford was born in Brownwood Texas. He attended Abeline Christian University.

Mr. Walters was born and raised in Ames, Texas. He grew up on his family's farm; his father worked as a cowboy on a nearby ranch. He attended the Catholic school in Ames, a Creole settlement, until junior high, when he attended West Liberty High. In 1969, he participated in integration. After persistent discrimination, he left high school and joined the military, where he stayed until 1976. He then began work at Texaco. In his interview, Mr. Walters describes the history of Ames, his father's career and encounters with racism, the difficulties of integration, and discrimination in both the military and at work.

Ms. Chumbley was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She worked as an elementary school teacher prior to integration and as a substitute while her children were small. She then became a teacher with Head Start. In the group interview, Ms. Chumbley describes her community and both going to and working for the segregated school system, as well as police brutality, African-American businesses, family structures, and the community involvement in raising children. Ms. Farr was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She went to Stephen F. Austin State University shortly after integration and became a nurse working for Lufkin State School and, later, worked as a nurse for Nacogdoches school district. In the group interview, she described life in segregated Nacogdoches, police brutality, African-American businesses, discrimination in her working career, protests and marches in Nacogdoches, and local politics. Ms. Sexton was born and raised in Nacogdoches. She attended EJ Campbell school prior to integration and Stephen F. Austin State University shortly after it integrated. She then worked for Lufkin State School until her retirement. In the group interview interview, she described her neighborhood, segregation in Nacogdoches, police brutality, protests and marches for equality, and the African-American community and businesses. Ms. Simpson was …

Mrs. Burrell was born and raised in Liberty, Texas. She attended the black Catholic school until she was in 3rd grade, when the Catholic schools integrated. After graduation, she joined the Air Force. After serving for a year, she married and eventually began working in multiple positions for the city of Baytown. She returned to LIberty in the 1990s and began working for the Sam Houston Regional LIbrary. In her interview, Mrs. Burrell described segregation in Liberty, the Creole community, the relationship between the black community and law enforcement, the role of the Catholic Church, her experience in the Air Force, discrimination and clashes on the job, and how Liberty has changed.

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.

Mr. Mitchell was born and raised in Stamps, Arkansas. Mitchell traveled to the Cleveland area after the saw mill in Arkansas was shut down. Mr. Mitchell received his barber's license and started his own barbershop in the 1960s. Mr. Mitchell worked in other industries while sustaining his barber shop. Mr. Mitchell and other members of the Cleveland Black community organized in efforts to integrate Cleveland. They attended several government meetings and negotiated with officials. Mr. Mitchell once showed up at a meeting of the local white citizen council and received death threats after revealing his opinion about the council's proposal of halting integration by providing more funding for the Cleveland Black school. Following the meeting, Mitchell received a death threat by a local pastor. Mitchell ultimately served for decades on the Cleveland school board after being elected in the 1960s.

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. Lastrappe spent his formative years in Conroe, Texas. He went to school at Booker T. Washington. Upon graduating, he went to California, where he witnessed the Watts Riot. Following that, he went to Chicago and then Seattle, where he worked primarily in juvenile detention facilities, then retired and returned to Texas. Mr. Lastrappe's interview describes segregation in Conroe, black-owned businesses, discrimination in Chicago, comparisons between Texas, Chicago, and Seattle, and a discussion of Mr. Lastrappe's publication of poetry.

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.

The Paul sisters were raised in Dayton, where their grandfather had owned and operated a farm, passed down to their father. Born ten years apart, the sisters lived in a segregated neighborhood, attended, and graduated from a segregated school. They both left for careers before returning to the area. In their interview, they described their family's history, segregation in Dayton, the differences between white and black schools, the effect of Brown v. Board, their career paths, changes in Dayton, and what they'd like to see in the future.

Mrs. Jordan has worked as a community social worker mainly servicing the Hispanic/Latino population in mainly Houston and Montgomery County. Jordan has worked to ensure that the Hispanic/Latino population has access to resources. Jordan consistently collaborates with other organizations that fosters multiracial collaborations. Jordan discussed growing up in Houston and Aldine. Jordan's family left the Barrio in Houston and moved to the more rural Aldine when she was three. Jordan discussed the different cultural practices she learned by having Cuban and Mexican parents, visiting the Barrio and living in a predominantly white and rural area. Jordan witnessed violence between residents of the Barrio and law enforcement. Jordan also discussed her experience with school integration. Jordan describes the changes in racial demographics of Montgomery County and efforts to secure political representation through creating and sustaining a multiracial coalition.

Mr. Wright was born and raised in Liberty, Texas in the 1930s. HE grew up on a farm and went to segregated schools. After his graduation in 1954, he went to Prairieview A&M for a brief period of time before joining the army, where he was stationed in Germany. He returned to Texas in 1960 and began working as a medical technologist. Later, he worked for NASA on the Apollo 11 mission, the EEOC, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In his interview, Mr. Wright describes Liberty in the 1940s and 1950s, his experience in the army, discrimination on the job in the 1960s and 1970s, community activism, his experiences as city councilman in Ames, and his hopes for hte area's future.

Mr. Grays was born in Dayton in 1947. Grays grew up in the Low-Woods community of Dayton. Grays mentioned a time when the church vehicle was stranded and they were not allowed in an establishment to call for aid in the late 1950s. Grays attended Prairie View and graduated in 1969. Grays then taught for a year in Port Arthur teaching drafting. Grays had some difficulty with promotions and training in the workplace as a drafter and plant/piping designer.

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.

Mrs. Wade attended an all-Black school in Houston and during freedom of choice the Black students collectively decided not to integrate because white school officials had sought to only allow the top Black students to integrate. Wade benefited from the land ownership of her family. By owning land, Wade's mother was able to take care of her two children following the early death of her husband. Wade attributed her father's early death to an injury that occurred during his military service. Wade also attributed her brother contracting polio and her mother's subsequent difficulty obtaining care for her brother to discrimination. Wade's mother initially worked in menial jobs despite having a degree because she could not be hired as an secretary. Wade's mother ultimately started in the 1960s and sustained her own in-home business for decades. Wade described her schooling experiences at Texas Woman's University and Texas Christian University. Wade received some negative feedback from her teacher's for deciding to not attend a historically Black college or university. Wade decided to attend a predominantly white university because she was curious about the level of education white people were receiving. Wade began a career in corporate America shortly after graduating from TCU …