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Stranded without power, a resident walks along a snow-covered road in Austin, Texas, Feb. 16, 2021. A failed attempt to provide rotating blackouts during Texas historic winter storm left at least nearly 200,000 people without power in single-digits temperatures from the early hours of Feb. 14. (CNS/Isabelle Baldwin)
As families continue to suffer the effects of the winter storm that ravaged Texas and its energy grid two months ago, faith leaders across the state have vowed to hold lawmakers to pass legislation quickly to weatherize the power grid and provide financial relief for repairs. This was man-made not the weather, but the response. Congregants, schools, homeowners, renters were all affected, said Jacqueline Hailey, a minister at New Hope Baptist Church, in Houston, during a press conference April 12. This is still affecting us. We are not going to forget, and we want to ensure that this will never happen again.
Faith groups urge Texas lawmakers to shield consumers from winter storm fallout
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A network of Texas community organizations is calling on state leaders to offer financial aid to families affected by February’s devastating winter storm.
The Network of Texas Industrial Areas Foundation Organizations, a coalition of interfaith service groups, joined The Metropolitan Organization of Houston at a Monday afternoon news conference in favor of state-level reform after the freeze.
Faith leaders, activists and Texans impacted by the weather advocated for bills already under consideration in the Legislature, including Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 3460, and pushed for new measures to aid residents harmed both by the freeze and the associated power outages.
Building the African-American community
Emancipation Park was purchased for $800 in 1872 by a group of influential African Americans led by Reverend Jack Yates. The street leading to Emancipation Park was East Broadway, later renamed by the city to Dowling Street after Confederate hero Richard Dowling.
Black-owned Businesses
Did you know…After World War I, Dowling Street was a bustling business epicenter for African-Americans?
From 1910 to 1930, the census recorded a colored population jump from 22,929 to 66,357. In that 20-year span, Black-owned businesses flourished up and down the historic Dowling Street. Community landmarks such as Yates High School, the Covington House, Wesley Chapel, and St. Nicholas were built either on or next to Dowling Street.