When Richard Andrews established the Foundation for Black Heritage and Culture and launched the Houston Black Heritage Festival, he aimed to preserve Black history and pass it on to younger generations.
Andrews traces the work to his base in the Third Ward, where the foundation’s headquarters is located off MLK Boulevard. He describes the festival as a response to changing neighborhoods and fading local memory and says the event intentionally centers historical context alongside celebration.
The foundation’s approach grew from relationships with elders and community leaders who shaped how the festival tells its story. Andrews recalled and credited those mentors with encouragement and practical support as the festival developed.
The Black Heritage Festival will be at The Discovery Green on Oct. 19. It will include live performances, cultural showcases, art installations, fashion and family-friendly programming.
“Reverend Lawson was one… he brought Dr. King to Houston,” Andrew says. “Congresswoman [Sheila Jackson] Lee was… definitely another who helped us in many ways.”
“This is a platform for Black artists, Black authors, historians and community leaders to tell their own story. Exposure to traditional music and dance, language, crafts, food, and history is a fun way for our community to engage in what makes the Black diaspora so special.”
Richard Andrews
Andrews describes the festival as a platform where culture functions as a curriculum, where music, dance, food and craft are tools to anchor identity and teach history outside the classroom. The foundation deliberately invites artists, historians and community leaders to use the event to interpret and preserve their stories.
“This is a platform for Black artists, Black authors, historians and community leaders to tell their own story,” Andrews says. “Exposure to traditional music and dance, language, crafts, food and history is a fun way for our community to engage in what makes the Black diaspora so special.”
That educational intent drew board member Gerald Boykins to the organization. Boykins said he first volunteered at community outreach efforts and later joined the board after seeing how programming and resources connect residents to deeper learning. He described his background as lacking local Black cultural touchstones and called the foundation’s work helpful.
“I came from a city in Nevada that didn’t have a lot of Black culture at all,” he said. “So many of us… do not know our history and it was me included.”
Boykins says the festival’s celebration is only one part of the foundation’s work. The same coalition supports classes, community resources and referrals that extend learning beyond the event.
He urged small acts of participation, such as volunteering an hour a week, helping at a food drive, or assisting with outreach, as the practical engine behind preserving unity and culture in the community.
“It’s just a group of us that, for one, are dedicated and determined to provide that intergenerational storytelling and mentorship,” he said. “You have to be committed… even those that just have a little bit of time… can help.”
For more information, visit The Foundation for Black Heritage and Culture.
