The Houston Defender

For Takisha “Kemi” Miller, peace isn’t a luxury. It’s something she fought to earn. After leaving a 23-year marriage marked by domestic violence, Miller packed up her children, left behind nearly everything she owned in Atlanta, and started over in Houston with little more than faith and a determination to build a different life. She had no furniture, no job, no car, and mounting debt. And three children watching their mother bet everything on a future she couldn’t yet see.

This article was originally written by Jennifer Porter Gore for Word In Black. A first-of-its-kind resource is now available to help Black families manage one of the most unsettling occurrences it can face — a family member’s mental health crisis.

Grocery and rent prices have climbed steadily over the past year, and Harris County – particularly Houston’s communities of color- has felt it acutely. In historically Black neighborhoods like the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens, residents say they are increasingly turning to off-brand products just to keep their budgets intact. The debate over why has split along familiar partisan lines. Republicans point to Biden-era inflation, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the root cause.

A new national study suggests attacks on voting rights may be producing the opposite of their intended effect: Motivating more Black Americans to become politically active. The research comes from the Black Opps Coalition, a national initiative of 10 civil rights, labor, and community organizations that studies how to increase Black civic engagement and voter participation.

Every child deserves a fair chance to learn, grow, and achieve their dreams. In Texas, millions of brilliant, creative, and hard-working Black children want to become doctors, engineers, artists, and leaders. However, facts show that Black youth face tough challenges that make it much harder for them to succeed. This is not because of who they are or how hard they try. Instead, it is because of unfair rules, historical problems, and a lack of resources in their schools and neighborhoods.

Percy “Master P” Miller built No Limit Records into one of hip-hop’s most successful independent labels by retaining ownership of his masters and a majority cut of his own record sales, at a time when few artists in the industry did either. Master P returns to headline the Cash Money & No Limit Tour when it opens Sept. 11 at Toyota Center, the first stop on a 17-city run reuniting two of Southern hip-hop’s most influential labels.

Many 6-foot-8 athletes follow one path. For Brian Scott Jr., the gym has never had just one court. During the winter, he anchors the paint as a left-handed center, scoring efficiently, protecting the rim, and threading passes that few players his size even see. When basketball season ends, he trades the hardwood for the volleyball court, rising at the net as a right-side hitter for Houston Volleyball Academy’s nationally ranked 17U Red Team.

A days-long power outage at the Rose Plaza Apartment Complex in Houston’s Fifth Ward has left about half of the property without electricity, prompting Congressman Christian D. Menefee to call for immediate action. While power has returned to some units, many residents remain without air conditioning and other essential services during Houston’s summer heat. Menefee called the conditions “completely unacceptable,” citing heightened risks for seniors and residents with health conditions.

While Houston remains a national capital for Black entertainment and “Sunday Funday” culture, a volatile mix of skyrocketing commercial real estate lease rates, gentrification-fueled neighborhood noise disputes, and shifting consumer fatigue with luxury nightlife pricing is forcing even the most iconic local brands out of business. From Midtown to Third Ward to Rice Village, here are six Black-owned nightlife spots that have permanently closed their doors since 2020.

Jacob Newsome grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, raised by a single mother and shaped by a childhood of trauma he later spent years unpacking in therapy. Now he’s trying to offer that same kind of healing to some of Harris County’s most vulnerable teenagers – the youth locked inside the county’s juvenile detention system.