A Love Letter to the Black Woodswomen of Deep East Texas
Where I’m from, the Afro-Texans who made me know our lives are forever woven into the ecology of the Thicket.
DaLyah Jones
DaLyah Jones, aka T.D. Bailey, is an eighth-generation Afro-Texan, cultural strategist, journalist, and organizer whose work sits at the intersection of narrative power, community repair, and Black Southern memory. She’s the founder and editorial director of the PECAN (Preserving Essential Cultures and Narratives) Project and previously worked for the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund at Borealis Philanthropy and for the Texas Observer.
Articles by DaLyah Jones
From the Plantation to the Thicket: Juneteenth, Black Freedom, and ‘Marronage’ in Texas
Freedom in Texas was achieved both after—and before—formal emancipation.
Announcing the Texas Observer’s New Engagement Initiative
Since 1954, the Observer has focused on communities who are often ignored. Funding from the Google News Initiative takes us to the next level.
Efforts to Save What’s Left of Mary Allen Seminary Reveal The Challenges of Preserving Black Placemaking in Texas
The Mary Allen Museum of African American History continues to race the clock to preserve what’s left of Texas’ first African American school for Black girls and women.
Quilts of Color
Laverne Brackens and her family carry on the interwoven legacy of Black quiltmakers in East Texas.
Beyoncé Isn’t Possible Without Houston. Houston Isn’t Possible Without the Black Diaspora.
Texas’ artistic innovation is nothing new and continues to be center stage through artists like Beyoncé during yet another period of Black rediscovery.
Texas Already Lacked Affordable Child Care. Then COVID-19 Hit.
The coronavirus has temporarily or permanently closed almost half of all child care providers in the state, leaving few options for low-income working families.
Andrea Roberts Is Working to Define What Free Black Space Is
Through the Texas Freedom Colonies Project, researchers are working to liberate data on behalf of Black Texans.