Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth most populous city in the United States of America. Houston is known for having great diversity. Its mayor is the Democrat Sylvester Turner, and Houston has almost 700 square miles of land. It has had rapid growth by the oil industry, NASA, and medical research. It is home to the Texas Medical Center or the world's largest concentration of healthcare of research institutions. The Port of Houston is ranked first in America in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled. It has an active museum, religious, theater, and music scenes. The majority of people in Houston are people of color. Houston is filled with African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and other ethnic groups. Houston is home to a large population of Nigerian Americans too. It is a Black Mecca like Atlanta where black professionals have grown businesses and other institutions. The Houston area is home to the largest African American community west of the Mississippi River. A 2012 Kinder Institute report found that, based on the evenness of population distribution between the four major racial groups in the United States (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian), Greater Houston was the most ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the United States, ahead of New York City. In 2018, non-Hispanic whites made up 20.7% of the population, Hispanics or Latino Americans 44.9%, African Americans made up of 30.3%, and Asian Americans made up of 8.2%. The largest Hispanic or Latino American ethnic groups in the city were Mexican Americans (31.6%), Puerto Ricans (0.8%), and Cuban Americans (0.8%) in 2018.
San Antonio is the second largest city in population in Texas and in the South. It was created by 1718 and it was controlled by the Spanish Empire, later by Mexico, and then by America. It has over 1.4 million people with over 500 square miles of land. Also, it was named after the 1691 Spanish expedition for the Portuguese priest Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day is June 13. It has highly popular tourist locations with places like the River Walk, The Tower of the Americas, SeaWorld Antonio, the Alamo Bowl, and Marriage Island. Many amusement parks are there, and its home to the five-time NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. Its annual San Antonio Stock and Show and Rodeo is one of the largest events in America. Military culture is found in many bases in its city limits. San Antonio is the largest majority Hispanic city in the United States of America with 64% of its population being Hispanic. The Alamo is a famous tourist location. The Alamo was where Mexican military forces fought people who wanted Texas to be independent of Mexico. Other places of interest include the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Brackenridge Park, the Japanese Tea Gardens, The Shops at La Cantera, the Sunken Garden Theater, The Woodlawn Theatre, and the Majik Theatre, a children's educational theater. The Mayor of San Antonio is the Independent Ron Niremberg.
Dallas is one of the most famous cities in Texas. Its mayor is the Democrat Eric Johnson, and it has about 386.9 square miles in terms of land. Its population is about 1.3 million people. It has a strong center of transportation and infrastructure development. It has four major interstate highways converging in the city and a fifth interstate loop around it. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. The Metroplex has DART of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Dallas is home to economic sectors being prominent like defense, financial services, information technology, telecommunications, and transportation. It hosts 23 Fortune 500 companies, the second most in Texas and the fourth most in America. It has over 41 colleges and universities in its metropolitan area. Dallas is one of the most diverse cities in America. The Dallas area is also a major destination for Black and African Americans. Between 2000 and 2010, the Dallas area gained 223,000 new Black and African American residents only behind the Atlanta metropolitan area. The notable influx of African Americans is partly due to the New Great Migration (or black Americans migrating from the North, Midwest, and West into the South). There is a significant number of people from the Horn of Africa, immigrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia. Most people in Dallas are Hispanic Americans, then 28.1 percent are white Americans, Black Americans are 22.9 percent, and Asian Americans are 3.7 percent. Almost 80 percent of the people in Dallas, Texas are Christian. Dallas is home to the largest prison ministries on Earth probably. Dallas is filled with Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches. Dallas has a large Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim population too.
Austin is home to music festivals. It is home to tons of people. It is the capital city of Texas. Austin's mayor is Democrat Steve Adler. Many people there are diverse made up of government employees, college students, musicians, high-tech workers, digital marketers, and blue-collar workers. Social media conferences, film producers, and large companies are found there from Google to Intel. The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest universities in America with over 50,000 students. In 2021, Austin became home to the Austin FC, the first (and currently only) major professional sports league in the city. It has over 1 million people with over 320 square miles of land. Austin hosts many film festivals, including the SXSW (South by Southwest) Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival, which hosts international films. A movie theater chain by the name of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was founded in Austin in 1997; the South Lamar location of which is home to the annual week-long Fantastic Fest film festival. In 2004 the city was first in MovieMaker Magazine's annual top ten cities to live and make movies. The Paramount Theater in Austin contributes to the city's film culture. According to the 2015–2019 Census estimates, 51.7% of Austin residents ages 25 and over have earned at least a bachelor's degree, compared to the national figure of 32.1%. 19.4% hold a graduate or professional degree, compared to the national figure of 12.4%.
Fort Worth is the 5th largest state in Texas. The Texas Longhorn cattle trade is found in the city. Its Western heritage is embraced with its architecture, culture, and other aspects of its compositions. It has over 950,000 people in Fort Worth. Fort Worth is the location of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and several museums designed by contemporary architects. The Kimbell Art Museum was designed by Louis Kahn, with an addition designed by Renzo Piano. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth was designed by Tadao Ando. The Amon Carter Museum of American Art, designed by Philip Johnson, houses American art. The Sid Richardson Museum, redesigned by David M. Schwarz, has a collection of Western art in the U.S., emphasizing Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History was designed by Ricardo Legorreta of Mexico. Fort Worth is the location of several university communities: Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan, University of North Texas Health Science Center, and Texas A&M University School of Law. Several multinational corporations, including Bell Textron, American Airlines, BNSF Railway, and Chip 1 Exchange are headquartered in Fort Worth. Motor racing and the rodeo are found in Fort Worth. Fort Worth is known as part of the Bible Belt with a large group of Baptists and other Christian groups.
El Paso is the city in the far southwestern part of Texas. It has almost 680,000 people. 81 percent of the people of El Paso are Hispanic Americans. El Paso stands on the Rio Grande across the Mexico–United States border from Ciudad Juárez, the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua with over 1.5 million people. El Paso's size is almost 260 square miles. El Paso has a strong military, federal, and economic presence. El Paso's economy does deal with international trade, military government, oil, gas, health service, etc. El Paso has cotton, fruit, vegetables, and livestock produced. El Paso has the KLAQ Great River Raft Race every year. The Southwestern International PRCA Rodeo is the 17th-oldest rodeo in the nation and El Paso's longest-running sporting event. Consistently ranked as one of the top 50 shows in the country by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, this charitable event is a true celebration of western culture and heritage. La Fiesta de las Flores is one of the oldest Hispanic festivals in the Southwest. The three-day fiesta is held each year during the Labor Day weekend and emphasizes El Paso's Hispanic heritage and culture. The festival attracts 20,000 to 30,000 visitors from El Paso County, New Mexico, West Texas, and the State of Chihuahua, Mexico. Activities included in the fiesta are the crowning of the queen, a Fiesta Parade, Senior Appreciation Dance, Military Appreciation Day, and live entertainment. The Fiesta is also well known for the authentic regional cuisine, arts and crafts, games, and services available for the enjoyment of all attendees. Over 80 booths, sponsored by local vendors and nonprofit organizations, create the Hispanic ambiance and culture.
Dr. Katherine Johnson's mother was a teacher, and her father was a lumberman, farmer, and handyman. His father worked at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia. After she graduated from high school at the age of 14, she matriculated at WVSC, a historically black college. She loved to take every mathematics course at the college. Many professors mentored her like the chemist and mathematician Angie Turner King, who had guided Coleman during high school. Professor W. W. Schieffelin Claytor, the third African American to earn a doctorate in mathematics, mentored Dr. Johnson too. Claytor added new mathematics courses just for Johnson. Dr. Johnson graduated summa cum laude in 1937 with degrees in mathematics and French, at the age of 18. She taught black schools in a public school in Marion, Virginia. A lot of people don't know that she co-authored 26 scientific papers. She helped to pioneer more research in space science and computing.
It is important to write about the Shields family more on the paternal side of my family. My great-grand aunt named Geneva Shields. She lived from 1927 to 2016. Her parents are my 2nd great-grandfather Adam D. and Nancy Reynolds. She married Jessie Lee Shields on March 12, 1946, at Norfolk, Virginia. Jessie Lee Shields's parents are Jimmie Shields and Robert McNeer. Geneva Shields worked at 1039 Calvert Street in Norfolk, Virginia, and Jimme Lee Shields lived at 1029 Chapel Street at Norfolk, Virginia. Geneva was 19 years old, and Jessie was 26 years old. Geneva and Jessie Shields' children are: Carolyn Maxine Shields Ruffin (b. 1945), Marian Jean Shields (b. 1946), James Lee Shields Jr. (b. 1949), Clarence Edward Shields (1949-1949), Annie Marie Shields (b. 1950), William Earl Shields, Paulettee Shields Melton, and Dianne Shields-Harris. Paulette Shields Mellon lived from December 14, 1953, to February 26, 2017. She was the youngest daughter of Jesse and Geneva Shields. Paulette attended Brawley School in Scotland Neck, North Carolina. She loved her childhood and teenage years in North Carolina with her siblings and family. By 1969, she moved with her family to Spring Valley, New York. Paulette attended and graduated from Ramapo High School. She met and married Leroy Smith as her first husband. Later, Paulette worked as a nurse's aide at the Dr. Yeager Health Center in Pomona, New York for 10 years. She moved back to her home at Scotland Neck, North Carolina by the early 1990's where she worked at the Scotland Neck Manor Nursing Home for years. She gave tender care to the sick and elderly. Paulette loved to take care of people. She fellowshipped and worship as a member of Shiloh Baptist Church. She loved to dance, play games with her family and friends, and hold events for the holidays at her home. She also cooked and baked goodies. The children of Paulette and Leroy Smith were Tyrone Smith, Lamont Smith, and Lakeisha Smith (who was a cheerleader when she was a child). Leroy and Tyrone played football before. Paulette Shields Melton's last husband was Renzalo Melton. Tyrone Smith's wife is Michelle Smith, and Lamont Smith's wife is Veronica Smith. Paulette's grandchildren are Shaqora Parker, Shaquan Smith, Taron Smith, Tianna Smith, Tyreke Smith, Tieha Smith, Le'onnie Smith, and Quana'asia Whyte. She has one great-grandchild named Noel Kellaman.
With the events going on, we have to realize the importance of Title IX. It is the federal civil rights law in America that came about in 1972. It was part of the Educational Amendments of 1972. It banned sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educational program that receives funding from the federal government. It was enacted by the 92nd United States Congress. Title IX is one of the most underrated laws in human history. President Richard Nixon signed the bill into law on June 23, 1972. Senator Birch Bayh wrote the 37 words of Title IX. Representative Edith Green, chair of the Subcommittee on Education, held hearings on exposing discrimination against women, and she introduced legislation to the House on May 11, 1972. Title IX was created to update Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Back in 1972, only 42 percent of the students enrolled in American colleges were girls and women. That is changed now. Title IX helped millions of women to be involved in sports, education, and other legitimate spheres of human life. It is a progressive law beneficial to all people, regardless of background too.
By Timothy
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