Houstonians, Black Restaurant Week is back
Black Restaurant Week is back in Houston. For those who know, this week is so much more than just good food.
At its core, the event is a celebration of African American, African, and Caribbean cuisine. It is also a platform for local, independent businesses that often lack the resources to market themselves on a larger scale. It will run until April 19.
Through curated events and partnerships, Black Restaurant Week shines a spotlight on chefs, food trucks, caterers, and specialty food brands. It extends beyond the traditional restaurant model and tries to authentically showcase the full spectrum of Black culinary talent across the city.
The experience is intended to bring people together, trying a new spot, supporting a neighborhood favorite, or discovering flavors tied to generations of cultural traditions.
But another important aspect of this week is the economic impact. Driving foot traffic and visibility, it helps strengthen local businesses while encouraging Houstonians to invest in their own communities.
You can find the list of restaurants here: https://blackrestaurantweeks.com/national-directory/
Still recovering after Beryl
Since Hurricane Beryl tore through Houston in July 2024, some residents, especially lower-income households, struggled to return to normal life 4-6 months or even a year after the storm.
A new report from Rice University’s Kinder Institute found that while most people say life has returned to normal, a significant number of residents are still dealing with the aftermath of Beryl, with not many to share the burden with.
Most respondents said their day-to-day lives were either completely (74%) or mostly (20%) back to normal, while 6% said their daily lives remained somewhat or mostly disrupted.
The differences in normalcy depend on household incomes. Only 2% of those making $100,000 or more reported that their lives were still somewhat or very disrupted, compared with 17% of those earning under $25,000.
For many, the primary issue is home repairs, including damaged roofs, leaks, mold problems, and damage to personal items, which caused unanticipated financial burdens.
For others, loss of income, insurance, or FEMA concerns, health and mental health issues, displacement, and utility issues have caused lingering barriers to staying afloat.
While some residents reported delays and outright denials from insurance companies and FEMA, leaving them to cover costs on their own, health and mental health challenges impeded other residents’ recovery, per the report.
For some Houstonians, the impact of Beryl still lingers. The real recovery, for them, is yet to come.
HISD’s Pre-K push
Houston ISD’s enrollment has been on the decline for years, but the losses have grown in both size and pace since the Texas Education Agency (TEA) takeover in 2023, a University of Houston study found. As of 2024-25, the district is serving 13,208 fewer students than in 2022-23, and annual losses continue to grow year over year.
To mitigate this issue, the school district is trying to expand its pre-K footprint.
On one side, HISD is partnering with Collaborative for Children to create more PreK access through community-based centers through the state-backed 1882 partnership.
On the other hand, it’s doubling down on door-to-door canvassing, led by canvassing nonprofit Groundwork Outreach, to connect families with available seats.
Per HISD, some campuses have high waitlists, while others have empty seats. Last year alone, outreach efforts reached roughly 56,000 families and contributed to one of the district’s largest grade-level enrollment gains, even as overall numbers declined.
This year, that effort is expanding to 65,000 families in the feeder patterns of the high-density Chavez, Milby, Sterling, and Yates high schools.
