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Elsewhere in the neighborhood, performance venues like the
Eldorado Ballroom welcomed internationally known artists such
as B. B. King and Ray Charles. By 1950, more than 150 black-owned
businesses lined the Third Ward’s main avenue. At one point in its
history, the Ward boasted over 90 churches. More than places for
worship, churches also served as civic centers, where social activism
during the civil rights movement took off. It is this history that
PRH celebrates and builds upon.
Desegregating Houston
Students from the Third Ward’s Texas Southern University
(TSU) played a major role in desegregating the city’s institutions.
On March 4, 1960, TSU students staged a sit-in at the counter
of Weingarten’s grocery store at 4110 Alameda Street. While
they were served only insults and abuses, they inspired city
leaders to take action to quickly and peacefully desegregate
Houston businesses.
12 12 [ 21st century skills library ]
