Exhibits - Visit Us at Houston Public Library

Images courtesy the African American History Research Center

June 28 - August 13, 2025

The African American History Research Center at the Gregory Campus | 2nd Floor Hallway

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church: A Photographic History celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding. It explores the church’s growth and Reverend Lee Haywood Simpson’s work within the congregation and the Houston community. Established in 1925 in the Fifth Ward, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church began with just six members and flourished under the insightful leadership of R.L. Simpson, known as the “Clever Leader." By 1943, it boasted 2,700 members empowering them to construct what was then the largest church facility for African Americans in the South complete with a sanctuary, educational building, gym, and more.

Reverend Simpson, despite his small stature, was a visionary leader who emphasized faith, community development, social justice, and spearheaded ministries ranging from traditional Sunday school to groundbreaking initiatives like a children’s church, business league, and senior housing. His 43-year pastorate established the foundation for the church to flourish into a new century.

Following Reverend Simpson’s untimely death in 1968, Reverend L.C. Crawford led the 4,000 member congregation by consolidating church finances and restructuring the music department. Reverend J.M. Allen followed in 1976, expanding the church’s reach by introducing a Transportation Ministry, Multimedia Ministry, and programs for youth. Pleasant Hill was the first Black church to have a Bell Choir. In 1984, Reverend Harvey Clemons Jr. initiated a new era known as “A Decade of Miracles” focused on community revitalization. The Pleasant Hill Community Development Corporation was focused on providing social services to the needy through housing, education, youth programs and health services. Pleasant Hill also underwent a major sanctuary renovation in the late 1990s and expanded its ministries to South Africa. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the enduring legacy of faith, leadership, and community engagement that has defined Pleasant Hill Baptist Church since its founding.

EXPLORE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Reverend L.H. Simpson Collection 1921-1976 (MSS 0139)

Reverend L.H. Simpson Collection - Videos (MSS 0139)

CHECK OUT THE CATALOG

Adult

Mighty Like a River: The Black Church and Social Reform by Andrew Billingsley
The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Pastoral Theology: A Black-Church Perspective by James H. Harris
Church Administration in the Black Perspective by Floyd Massey
Black Churches in Texas: A Guide to Historic Congregations by Clyde McQueen
Your Spirits Walk Beside Us: The Politics of Black Religion by Barbara Dianne Savage

Kid/Juvenile

Rock of Ages: A Tribute to the Black Church by Tonya Bolden

Watch

Founding the Free Black Churches

Reference books available at the African American History Research Center

The Black Church in America: African American Christian Spirituality by Michael Battle
Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations by Brandon Thomas Crowley
The Ground Has Shifted: The Future of the Black Church in Post-Racial America by Walter E. Fluker
Historic Fifth Ward by Priscilla T. Graham
Through the Storm, Through the Night: A History of African American Christianity by Paul Harvey
Black Church Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years by Henry H. Mitchell
Black Church in the Sixties by Hart M. Nelsen
Understanding & Transforming the Black Church by Anthony B. Pinn
Show Us How You Do It: Marshall Keeble and the Rise of Black Churches of Christ in the United States, 1914-1968 by Edward J. Robinson
The Clever Leader, Dr. L.H. Simpson, D.D. by Julie Simpson

Recent Posts

Bones of Texas - NOW OPEN!

Dustin Rice, Moore County, TX | Morgan Page, Adobes, TX | Morgan Page, Shafter II, TXAugust 12 - October 30, 2025Central Library | 1st Floor Gallery Where once there were the sounds of children playing, now there are just the whispers of the wind. The only visitors now are the wind and rain, along with the sun and moon. The abandonment itself is the citizenry. Where once there was community, now there are the Bones of Texas. Texas is ever evolving. The people of Texas came in waves that spread from the east and south. They then settled communities. A generation of settlers created towns based on the resources nearby: lumber, cattle, cotton. As the value of resources changed, those towns changed with them. As other resources were discovered the ways of life for townspeople were changed. This went on in every region of Texas. Texas has a long history that is diverse in both conflict and culture. Texas has seen Native Americans and frontiersmen, settlers and Texas Rangers. A great many set out to become farmers and the land dictated they become ranchers instead. Ranchers became oil men upon its discovery on their land. Railroads and the politics of where they went changed another generation. Rangers defended them as towns popped up seemingly from nothing to suit the needs of one group and lasted a generation, then just as quickly disappeared when the railroad, or eventually the highways, passed them by. As a consequence, towns that were once booming went by the wayside and others prospered in their place. Such has been the case in modern day Texas as well. Small town Texas has been slowly dying for several generations. As our big cities get bigger, our small towns get left behind. A population rapidly concentrating in the city has left many small towns to slowly decay on their own. In this decay there is great beauty. In this abandonment, this waste, there is a sense of the past, a shadow of those who came before us. In this exhibit, photographers Morgan Page and Dustin Rice seek to capture the natural textures and patterns in Texas’ landscape, as well as the stark contrast in the dilapidation that these things left behind give to it. In the thousands of miles they have traveled documenting these locations, they have strived to tell independent stories from the same places. One artist attempting to show the vastness of Texas, the scale that one place may convey against its own landscape; the other artist weaving stories of personal emotion and forgotten presence and absence in and around the architecture remaining. About the Artists Morgan Page received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Digital Media from the University of Houston in Houston, TX. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Dustin Rice received his Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Mass Communications from Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. Both Page and Rice share a keen interest in Texas history and an adventurous spirit in exploring Texas landscapes. If you have any questions about this project, please visit https://www.bonesoftexas.com. ...

BLACK STEREO by Tierney Malone

Image courtesy Tierney Malone May 10 - September 27, 2025The African American History Research Center at the Gregory Campus | Gallery Black music is the soundtrack to the struggle for self-determination and liberation of Black people in the New World. It is the musical history of our evolution in this country. Black music has been key to shaping American culture. Africans stolen from their homeland were forced to give up their languages, rituals, names, and the drum. Yet, they retained the essence of these things and created spirituals, gospel, blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and hip hop - musical forms whose powerful influence is undeniable on the cultural fabric of this county and beyond. Black music is a connection to our past and a source of inspiration, a space-creating force that encourages and seeds dreams for the future.In 1968, when singer Archie Bell said, “Hi, everybody. I'm Archie Bell of the Drells of Houston, Texas” on the hit record Tighten Up, he helped put Houston's music scene on the world map. The music for this song was created and performed by the TSU Toronadoes, a group formed by students from Texas Southern University in the heart of Third Ward, aka “The Tre.”In the exhibition Black Stereo, I am telling the stories and connection that African American artists and institutions of Greater Houston have with the city and the country. The works presented take the forms of concert posters, showbills, and album covers, infographics meant to highlight, educate, and entertain like music. The message is in the music. - Tierney Malone About Tierney MaloneMalone is a visual artist and modern-day storyteller who blends African American history and pop culture to create mixed media works that challenge contemporary culture and politics. He is the host of “Houston Jazz Spotlight,” a weekly program on Radio KPFT. JOIN US Opening Reception for BLACK STEREO with Tierney Malone | May 10, 2:00 - 4:00 PMArtist Talk | Tierney Malone: BLACK STEREO | June 21, 3:00 - 4:00 PM Events for EveryoneDATETIMEEVENTLOCATION Monday, June 92:00 - 3:00 PMMusical Performance by Sax MinistryFreed-Montrose Neighborhood LibraryRegister HereMonday, June 1612:00 - 1:00 PMMusical Performance by Sax MinistryMcCrane-Kashmere Gardens Neighborhood LibraryRegister HereSaturday, June 2111:00 AM - 9:00 PMMake Music Day FestivalCentral LibraryRegister HereWednesday, July 161:00 - 2:00 PMMusical Performance by Sax MinistryMancuso Neighborhood LibraryRegister Here Events for KidsDATETIMEEVENTLOCATION Tuesday, June 310:30 - 11:30 AMInstrument Explorers with Tom's Fun BandVinson Neighborhood LibraryRegister HereSaturday, June 2111:45 - 12:15 PMMusical StorytimeCentral LibraryRegister HereTuesday, July 153:00 - 4:00 PMInstrument Explorers with Tom's Fun BandScenic Woods Regional LibraryRegister HereTuesday, July 222:00 - 3:00 PMMusic and Movement with AndyRooStanaker Neighborhood LibraryRegister Here EXPLORE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Black Music in Houston Collection (MSS 0159)The Black Music in Houston Collection contains newspaper articles, programs, correspondence, and photographs of African American musicians and musical activity in Houston during the 1980s. Between WWI and WWII, Houston became a regional center of jazz music, a style popularized during the 19th century. Houston experienced a flourishing music scene from the 1960s to the 1980s with a variety of prevalent genres including blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Blues music was popularized in Houston during the 1940s with Gold Star Studios, more recently known as Sugar Hill Studios, who produced several prominent musicians including Lighting in Hopkins and Bobby Blue Band.Texas Jazz Archive (RG E 0071)In 1986, Arnett Cobb and his daughter Lizette Cobb created the Jazz Heritage Society of Texas as a non-profit education, literary, and cultural arts organization. Arnett Cobb expressed an interest in creating a jazz archive. In 1987, the Jazz Heritage Society of Texas partnered with the Houston Metropolitan Research Center (now Houston History Research Center) to document the under-represented jazz scene of Texas by establishing the Texas Jazz Archive. The strong points of this collection are the oral history interviews and the number of photographs chronicling these musicians' professional careers.Jazz Education Inc. (RG 0041)The Jazz Education Inc. Collection contains records related to the operations of Jazz Education Inc. between 1990-2022. Jazz Education Inc. was established in 1970 by Bubbha Thomas, to provide training and educational opportunities to children about the history and culture of jazz music, which were unavailable at both private and public institutions. The organization also sponsors four main programs: Music in the Schools (Jazz and Poetry Series), Summer Jazz Workshop, SJW Scholarship Jazz Brunch, and the Houston International Jazz Festival.Carlos Johnson Papers (MSS 0051)This collection contains the personal and professional records of Charles “Carlos” Johnson during his career as a percussionist. Charles Harold “Carlos” Johnson was born on August 31, 1945, to Ernestine and T.Z. Johnson in Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas. He attended Kashmere Junior and Senior High School and performed under Conrad Johnson. He attended Texas Southern University and performed with the TSU Jazz Ensemble. During his 35-year career as a percussionist, he adopted the stage name “Carlos” and in addition to jazz, he performed with classical, country, rock, and pop musicians. Johnson taught music, performed as a solo artist through Congos By Carlos, and was part of music groups such as D.R.U.M. (Divine Rhythm United Motion). CHECK OUT THE CATALOG Kid/JuvenileAdoff, Arnold, Roots and Blues: A CelebrationDell, Pamela, The Blues: Birth of an American SoundEarl, C. F., Hip-Hop: A Short HistoryKoopmans, Andy, The History of the BluesLoney, Andrea J., The Double Bass BluesMour, Stanley I., Innovators of American JazzMyers, Walter Dean, JazzWheeler, Lisa, Jazz BabyWilliams, Jarrett, Hip-Hop: The Beat of AmericaWinter, Jonah, How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz AdultBradley, Andy, House of Hits: The Story of Houston's Gold Star/SugarHill Recording StudiosCorcoran, Michael, Ghost Notes: Pioneering Spirits of Texas MusicCorcoran, Michael Joseph, All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas MusicFaniel, Maco L., Hip-Hop in Houston: The Origin & the LegacySteptoe, Tyina L., Houston Bound: Culture and Color in a Jim Crow CityWalker, Lance Scott, Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-HopWood, Charles Roger, Down in Houston: Bayou City Blues WatchWhen Houston Had the BluesBeyonce ListenRhino Hi-Five: Archie Bell & The DrellsArnett CobbThelonius Monk: The London Collection Vol. 1The Dixie HummingbirdsThe Crusaders Library of ThingsPortable record player This exhibition is generously supported by Houston Public Library, Houston Public Library Foundation, and the City of Houston....

Al Otro Lado | The Other Side: Raquel Natalicchio

Images courtesy Raquel Natalicchio and Houston History Research CenterJune 14, 2025 - February 28, 2026The Julia Ideson Building | The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room At the heart of Al Otro Lado/The Other Side lies the convergence of individual stories and geographical context. This exhibition features the work of photojournalist Raquel Natalicchio, focusing on her portraits and interviews of people who have migrated to the United States. Their personal narratives, highlighting their diverse experiences and journeys, are paired with historical maps highlighting regions along the U.S.-Mexico border, sourced from the Houston History Research Center. These maps not only chart physical landscapes but also document the history leading up the establishment of the border and the socio-political complexities surrounding immigration. About the Photojournalist | Sobre la fotoperiodistaRaquel Natalicchio is a bilingual photojournalist originally from Los Angeles, now based in Houston as a staff photojournalist for the Houston Chronicle. Her work focuses on social issues, migration, political mobilization, and community-driven stories across the U.S.–Mexico border. Her long-term project Borderlands explores the cultural and human complexity of border life. A passionate educator, she has developed photography curricula for Las Fotos Project and the Houston Center for Photography, empowering youth through self-expression. Natalicchio has organized exhibitions and talks in Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and London. She is South Regional Chair of the National Press Photographers Association and founder of The Open Door Gallery, a roaming gallery dedicated to supporting artists and building community. UPCOMING PROGRAMS#JoinLaCharla: Immigration, Representation, and the Power of Language | Saturday, September 6- 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Reflections from the Frontlines of Change | Panel featuring Raquel Natalicchio, Rick Noriega, and César Espinoza. Together, they'll reflect on the complexities of immigration, the importance of representation in media and public life, and how language shapes our understanding of identity, policy, and belonging.- 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Exhibit Walkthroughs | Raquel and César will lead short tours of their respective exhibitions on view at the Julia Ideson Building.- 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Change the Subject Film Screening + Discussion | Film screening of Change the Subject followed by a post-film discussion led by Mikaela Selley and Lorena Gauthereau from Arte Público Press/Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage (Recovery).This exhibition is generously supported by Houston Public Library, Houston Public Library Foundation, and City of Houston. ...

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church: A Photographic History

Images courtesy the African American History Research Center June 28 - August 13, 2025The African American History Research Center at the Gregory Campus | 2nd Floor Hallway Pleasant Hill Baptist Church: A Photographic History celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding. It explores the church’s growth and Reverend Lee Haywood Simpson’s work within the congregation and the Houston community. Established in 1925 in the Fifth Ward, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church began with just six members and flourished under the insightful leadership of R.L. Simpson, known as the “Clever Leader." By 1943, it boasted 2,700 members empowering them to construct what was then the largest church facility for African Americans in the South complete with a sanctuary, educational building, gym, and more. Reverend Simpson, despite his small stature, was a visionary leader who emphasized faith, community development, social justice, and spearheaded ministries ranging from traditional Sunday school to groundbreaking initiatives like a children’s church, business league, and senior housing. His 43-year pastorate established the foundation for the church to flourish into a new century. Following Reverend Simpson’s untimely death in 1968, Reverend L.C. Crawford led the 4,000 member congregation by consolidating church finances and restructuring the music department. Reverend J.M. Allen followed in 1976, expanding the church’s reach by introducing a Transportation Ministry, Multimedia Ministry, and programs for youth. Pleasant Hill was the first Black church to have a Bell Choir. In 1984, Reverend Harvey Clemons Jr. initiated a new era known as “A Decade of Miracles” focused on community revitalization. The Pleasant Hill Community Development Corporation was focused on providing social services to the needy through housing, education, youth programs and health services. Pleasant Hill also underwent a major sanctuary renovation in the late 1990s and expanded its ministries to South Africa. This exhibition offers a glimpse into the enduring legacy of faith, leadership, and community engagement that has defined Pleasant Hill Baptist Church since its founding. EXPLORE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Reverend L.H. Simpson Collection 1921-1976 (MSS 0139) Reverend L.H. Simpson Collection - Videos (MSS 0139) CHECK OUT THE CATALOG AdultMighty Like a River: The Black Church and Social Reform by Andrew BillingsleyThe Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Pastoral Theology: A Black-Church Perspective by James H. HarrisChurch Administration in the Black Perspective by Floyd MasseyBlack Churches in Texas: A Guide to Historic Congregations by Clyde McQueenYour Spirits Walk Beside Us: The Politics of Black Religion by Barbara Dianne Savage Kid/JuvenileRock of Ages: A Tribute to the Black Church by Tonya Bolden WatchFounding the Free Black Churches Reference books available at the African American History Research CenterThe Black Church in America: African American Christian Spirituality by Michael Battle Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations by Brandon Thomas CrowleyThe Ground Has Shifted: The Future of the Black Church in Post-Racial America by Walter E. FlukerHistoric Fifth Ward by Priscilla T. GrahamThrough the Storm, Through the Night: A History of African American Christianity by Paul HarveyBlack Church Beginnings: The Long-Hidden Realities of the First Years by Henry H. MitchellBlack Church in the Sixties by Hart M. NelsenUnderstanding & Transforming the Black Church by Anthony B. PinnShow Us How You Do It: Marshall Keeble and the Rise of Black Churches of Christ in the United States, 1914-1968 by Edward J. Robinson The Clever Leader, Dr. L.H. Simpson, D.D. by Julie Simpson ...