Video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

Video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

Mrs. Wiltz grew up in the community of Tamina which was founded as a Freedmen's Settlement in the late 1800s. She described some history, race relations, gentrification, infrastructure inequality and changes over time in Tamina. Wiltz currently runs multiple community organizations that provide services to residents in Tamina and the surrounding areas. Wiltz runs a community center in Tamina and the non-profit organization Children's Books on Wheels.

Mr. Wilkerson was born in Montgomery, Texas. He attended segregated schools in Montgomery and remained active in the area. In his interview, Mr. Wilkerson described how segregation operated in Montgomery, the state of education for African-American children, his family's history in the area, and his work in volunteering, community outreach, and as a member of the city council.

Mr. Booty was born in Carthage, grew up in the Third Ward of Houston, and moved to Tamina when he was 16. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. He is the former president of Tamina's water supply and a current minister. In his interview, Mr. Booty described life in Tamina under segregation, how the community has changed over time, the threats Tamina has faced, and the strategies he and Mr. Leveston have used to preserve Tamina. Mr. Leveston also grew up in Tamina, Texas, a small African-American community near the present-day The Woodlands. He attended Booker T. Washington school in Conroe. Leveston joined the military after school and returned to Tamina after some time in Houston. He is currently the president of Tamina's water supply company. In his interview, Mr. Leveston described growing up in Tamina, segregation, his experience at Conroe's school, and his struggle to preserve the small community against the encroachment of surrounding cities.

Ms. Franklin was raised in Conroe in the 1960s to parents who were both teachers at the local All-Black school, Booker T. Washington High. Franklin discussed how integration occurred in Conroe, including the freedom of choice phase and the process of the forced integration phase. Franklin overheard her parents discussing their sentiments about integration. Franklin's parents decided to not send their daughter to the formerly all-white schools in Conroe during freedom of choice but a few Black parents did send their children to integrated schools during that time. Notable historian Annette Gordon-Reed is said to be one of the first Black students in Conroe to attend integrated schools. Franklin discussed her experiences with integration and her time attending college at Rice University. Franklin attended Rice partially because her father heard that it had integrated fairly recently. Franklin worked in technology (programming, etc.) throughout her career and experienced some discrimination in the workplace at companies in Houston.

Mr. Johnson was born and raised in Conroe, Texas. He grew up on land his grandparents purchased after years spent sharecropping. He attended Booker T. Washington until integration, when he then attended Conroe High School. He joined the Air Force and spent time in Italy and Abilene, Texas. Upon returning to Texas, he attended Sam Houston State University and began working in radio, photography, and as a disc jockey, among other jobs. In his interview, Mr. Johnson describes segregation in Conroe, his family's landownership, integration in Conroe, his experiences in the Air Force, his multiple jobs, discrimination at work, and the many ways that Conroe has changed over time.

Yates grew up in segregated Conroe and attended both segregated and integrated schools. Yates was a member of the Conroe High football teams that sought to increase the amount of Black women representation on the cheerleading team and during homecoming pageantry in the early 1970s. Yates also became one of first Black football players on the University of Texas-Austin football team in the mid-1970s. Yates also discussed working in various jobs including law enforcement and the oil industry.

Ms. Moore was raised in Houston, Texas. Her family is from Conroe, and she spent time growing up visiting relatives in Conroe, including her aunt Lucille Bradley. In her interview, Ms. Moore describes her family's history, the career and life of Ms. Bradley in Conroe's schools, and her observations on how Conroe has changed over time.

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.

B-roll video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

B-roll video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story.

Video footage from the WBAP-TV station in Fort Worth, Texas to accompany a news story about a pilot killed after attempting to fly out of Dallas during a severe dust storm. Another pilot is forced to bail out of his plane due to the storm, but survives. The script goes on to describe the aftermath of a tornado striking the town of Conroe, north of Houston. No one was killed.

B-roll video footage from the KXAS-TV/NBC station in Fort Worth, Texas, to accompany a news story about vaccinations for residents of Conroe.

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.