She says its high time that road planners stop considering communities like hers expendable. For Independence Heights, this meant something bigger than cars and roads it is the downright displacement of its people of color. .views-exposed-form .js-form-submit { width:100%; height: 40px; padding:.5em 1em; text-transform: uppercase; margin:0 .2em; color: #fff; background: #054ea1; cursor:pointer; border: 1px solid #054ea1; border-radius: 10px; font-size: .9em; font-weight: bold;} Local grassroots organizations such as the anti-expansion groups LINK Houston, Air Alliance Houston, Stop TxDOT I-45, and others worked for more than a year to halt the Houston expansion over environmental impact concerns and its disproportionate effects on communities of color. Please join us for one of our Spring Community Meetings to give input on the Draft 2023 Annual Action Plan. And we cannot simply continue to widen our freeways at the expense of Black and brown communities., Thats not a big ask. Im sure it will, but one of the changes we dont need is we dont need more people displaced (and) more culture erased, Dubose said. Tanya Debose, executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, said an entity is needed to take stock of the county's cultural and historical assets as they pertain to. The mural was unveiled on Juneteenth 2020. In the building of freeways, historic and cultural assets akin to communities of color are often overlooked and therefore unpreserved. Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, Incorporated Website Get a D&B Hoovers Free Trial Overview Company Description:? These are indicators of a very real, authentic story of how the black community helped settle America. Houston, TX 77005-1892, Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Campus Carry, The National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships. The omission could impact how the neighborhood, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is compensated for any historical losses. .article--story h4.article__title {font-size: 1.5rem;} Independence Heights Redevelopment Council - Home | Facebook The State of Independence Heights meeting was held in coordination with the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council October 24th at Booker T. Washington High School located at 4204 Yale St. To take the community engagement survey, please click her e. Independence Heights Special Minimum Lot Size Possible Locations That might explain why officials were shocked by the fierce opposition from those communities. In 2015, AVENUE was invited to bring their community building and engagement strategy to the neighborhood. Project Row Houses is one of our Third Ward neighborhood partners. .article--story .article__body {margin-top: 30px;} /*div.hero__title.overlay__content.overlay__content--center p { display: none; }*/ A verification email has been sent to you. We will keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. Families were caring and looked out for each other. Already have a GuideStar Account? The GO Network includes 13 neighborhoods in Houston. Many urban interstate highways were deliberately built to pass through Black neighborhoods, causing destruction of housing and other local institutions.. "Here in Houston, historians have estimated that somewhere between 40,000 people were. ", Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer. The early Independence Heights pioneers sought equal rights and opportunities for themselves and established an independent municipality known as the first city incorporated by African Americans in the State of Texas. I-45 expansion impact report may not have considered Independence Heights .page-body__content p {font-size: 1.125rem; padding-bottom: 1.5rem;} We focus on preserving the rich history and revitalizing historic Independence Heights community. She said her community. Living in Independence Heights is honorable to all who call our neighborhood home. "This is a serious loss and it underlines the necessity for prompt action if we are not to shirk our duty to the future.". .page-body__content ol a {text-transform: none;} This watershed moment inspired activists across several other states to push back on similar highway projects and marked an effort to center environmental justice in infrastructure work. .article__body h3 {font-size: 2rem; margin-bottom: .75rem; font-family: CopernicusMedium,serif; color: #00205B;} /* Initiatives in center list */ Over the last few years residents, former residents, business owners, church leaders, parents, educators, community leaders, and our partners have come together to imagine and vision a new future for our historic community, Independence Heights. 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