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Unfortunately, many of the historic minority neighborhoods surrounding DT Dallas were in high demand areas and have been redeveloped to the point of not looking much like their former selves at all. Deep Ellum has the most buildings left of these areas, but has been modified so much over the decades, it’s not the same place.
When I think of Dallas, I don't think of black history at all....I don't think they were ever big into the Civil Rights movement and I never thought they had important historically black neighborhoods where history was made. Hell, I can't even think of Latino or Asian history in that city. It probably exists, but when we think of Dallas, we probably think NFL Cowboys, Cowboy hats and boots, and the Dallas tv show, which had a nearly all white cast. No rapper ever mentions Dallas in their videos and I can't think of any important black people coming from Dallas.
Houston on the hand seems to have a lot of Latino and Black history. Lots of Black rappers/singers come from Houston(Beyonce being a very popular one) and it's not immediately thought of as a city of white American culture only like Dallas. It's very diverse.
I definitely think Houston wins on the idea that Houston feels more important to black culture than Dallas.
And see that’s my point. The Dallas Cowboys and it’s “America’s Team” and that whole extension of “White Texan culture” overshadows the ethnic enclaves that make up and have contributed to Dallas. See I know better than most because I’m from East Texas. Grew up a hour and 45 mins away from DFW so ppl in Northeast Texas know what Dallas Black culture is all about.
I give credit where credit is due. Dallas does have an African American museum that’s much older and larger than Houston’s. Dallas does have a Malcolm X Blvd(which I think is very impressive). A lot of Blues players that came from East Texas migrated to Dallas and really established Deep Ellum which is now one of the most popping neighborhoods in Dallas and the state of Texas(and honestly I wish Houston had a neighborhood with a social scene as walkable as this).
Dallas also lays claim to the Father of Texas Blues in Blind Lemon Jefferson. Originally from East Texas but was established in Dallas. Erykah Badu, D.O.C. (Even though he’s looked at as a Westcoast artist he’s originally from Dallas)
You also got T.D. Jakes and Potters House and a TON of famous Black athletes that come out the area. Civil Rights Lawyer and activist Lee Merrit is based out of Dallas. He was the spokesman and legal adviser for the Botham family and he’s doing the same for Ahmuad Arbery’s Mother.
So Dallas has it but I think on a national level imo it’s in its “infancy come up” stage of arriving as a respected cool place for Black millennials in Black America. It’s still going to take awhile to get the respect of its neighbor down south but it’s not like how it was 10 to 15 years ago when several Black transplants complained about the lack of Black spaces for Black professionals.
And see that’s my point. The Dallas Cowboys and it’s “America’s Team” and that whole extension of “White Texan culture” overshadows the ethnic enclaves that make up and have contributed to Dallas. See I know better than most because I’m from East Texas. Grew up a hour and 45 mins away from DFW so ppl in Northeast Texas know what Dallas Black culture is all about.
I give credit where credit is due. Dallas does have an African American museum that’s much older and larger than Houston’s. Dallas does have a Malcolm X Blvd(which I think is very impressive). A lot of Blues players that came from East Texas migrated to Dallas and really established Deep Ellum which is now one of the most popping neighborhoods in Dallas and the state of Texas(and honestly I wish Houston had a neighborhood with a social scene as walkable as this).
Dallas also lays claim to the Father of Texas Blues in Blind Lemon Jefferson. Originally from East Texas but was established in Dallas. Erykah Badu, D.O.C. (Even though he’s looked at as a Westcoast artist he’s originally from Dallas)
You also got T.D. Jakes and Potters House and a TON of famous Black athletes that come out the area. Civil Rights Lawyer and activist Lee Merrit is based out of Dallas. He was the spokesman and legal adviser for the Botham family and he’s doing the same for Ahmuad Arbery’s Mother.
So Dallas has it but I think on a national level imo it’s in its “infancy come up” stage of arriving as a respected cool place for Black millennials in Black America. It’s still going to take awhile to get the respect of its neighbor down south but it’s not like how it was 10 to 15 years ago when several Black transplants complained about the lack of Black spaces for Black professionals.
Thank you for this Redlionjr. Also Tamela Mann, David Mann, and Kirk Franklin are from Fort Worth. Jazz great Ornetta Coleman is also from Fort Worth. There was actually on article in the Fort Worth star telegram some years back that criticized Fort Worth after Ornetta Coleman died for not honoring its rich music history. Texas first black millionaire William “Bill” McDonald is from Fort Worth. Coach Robert Hughes who coached At Fort Worth IM Terrell and Fort Worth Dunbar High School has more wins than any basketball coach and was inducted into the basketball hall of fame.
... I tell ppl all the time don’t look at tv or rap videos for your depiction of what Atlanta is. The most accurate depiction happens to be the most surreal show about Atlanta which is Atlanta. Atlanta is whatever you make it. And with a city with 2 million Black ppl, you can run into any type of Black crowd and find your tribe.
Precisely. The Black population in metro Atlanta is both large and diverse/well-rounded. It's kinda hilarious that I hear, from different Black people, that Atlanta is too ghetto, too bougie, too gay, too corporate, too flashy, too country, too transplant-dominated, etc. and all at the same time.
Yaaasss. Amen.
And the beauty of Atlanta is...that it is all of that and then some.
There's a certain subset of the black community that hates cities that are geared or "hyped" to blacks...almost like a self-hatred sort of thing so Atlanta gets a lot of hate from a vocal minority. One of the most popular things I hear is "Atlanta is overcrowded", but they never say this about LA, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami which all have larger populations and are denser metros. What they really mean is "There's too many black people" and a lot of people like to be the "black token". They hate seeing other blacks succeed and there's a lot of black success in Atlanta...creativity among African Americans shines in Atlanta that it quite doesn't anywhere else today. It used to be NYC, Chicago, and LA, but it seems like the creativity among blacks in those cities has waned.
Don't get me wrong though. Atlanta is not a perfect city for Black people and it has it's fault, but there's nothing quite like it when it comes to the diversity of the type of black people it has. People do come here to work hard to "make it" and that can be very threatening to "those types of black people".
EDIT: I also want to add that because so much of the creative type of African Americans move down to Atlanta, there's going to be a lot of success and failures among those people and those who do fail to make it are the ones who speak out the most against the city.
So what you're saying is that a lot of Black people who move to Dallas tend to be the type of black folks who hate being around other black people? Maybe that's one of the reasons why a lot of black people from places like Houston, ATL, or the DMV talk about the lack of a cohesive black social scene in the area...
Yes. They don’t mind being around white people and assimilating.
I was talking to a girl on IG. She was telling that she moved to Dallas from California. After being in Dallas for a while, she moved to Houston. She said that she experienced a lot more racism in Dallas and didn’t feel welcomed as a black woman with kids. She feels that Houston is blacker and embraces her more.
Also, I talked to couple from New Orleans who moved to Dallas (before Katrina) years ago to give their children a better life. After Katrina, they moved to Houston from Dallas to be close to their family who evacuated to Houston. They said they liked Houston much better because Houston has more black culture than Dallas.
Lastly, this guy from the Bahamas randomly hit me up on IG to ask me about Houston. He said that he wants to finish school in States but wanted to focus more on Houston because Houston is known as a black hub in the Bahamas. He did suggest that Dallas was more white to him and that he didn’t want to move to Atlanta. Also, he did just move back to the Bahamas from Miami and felt that Miami wasn’t for him.
Someone did say that artists from Houston rep Houston to the fullest. Solange has a whole album about Houston landmarks and experiences; eating boudin, playing next to the bayou, candy paint, etc. Beyoncé and Meg talk about Houston a lot and throw up the H every chance they get. Travis Scott has an entire album and experience (festival) dedicated to Astroworld. Of course, there’s more, but they are the four major acts. Hell, even Drake puts on for Houston.
Wow lol, I live in the Dallas area and realized realize that is what always turns me off a little bit about the Atlanta or Houston area. I have visited Houston many times and have family in Atlanta but sometimes you want a middle ground between the overly woke people and the very ratchet. Just my opinion...
Can you explain this?
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