Meet the Publishers Preserving 129 Years of Black Newspaper History in the Metaverse

Publishers Mikel Collins, and Lorenza Butler, Jr., one of the paper’s former owners, plan to bring life back to the collection of more than 129 years of fragile newsprint and irreplaceable photographs. For Decades, the history of Houston’s oldest Black Newspaper West of the Mississippi have filed away in several different locations—some were digitally scanned and available online at the University of North Texas Libraries, the Portal to Texas History and other are accessible through microfiche at the Gregory Elementary School Museum, and others in boxes and bound volumes. The Houston Informer and Texas Freeman—got its start as what’s known in Houston as Freedmen’s Town, a resting place for reference files of newspaper clippings in the days before Google. Now Mikel Collins, and Lorenza Butler, Jr., one of the paper’s former owners, plans to bring life back to the collection of more than 129 years of fragile newsprint and irreplaceable photographs.

Lorenza Butler, Jr., spoke about his duty to document and preserve the past, and his plans for a new home for the archives with interactive avatars of each publisher in Metaverse for all to see and experience. “The Houston Informer and Texas Freeman is the Oldest Black Newspaper West of the Mississippi,” stated Butler. “The Houston Informer Foundation will start the arduous journey of archiving, for the first time, over 129 years of all known publications, institutional letters, bulletins, annual reports, as well as any personal letters between owners or legal materials regarding the Houston Informer and Texas Freeman newspaper and have them all housed in one location.”

The Houston Informer Foundation is currently in partnership with the Rutherford B. H. Yates Museum to host the first exhibition in 2023, and the Freedmen’s Town Historical Conservatory to assist with a call to the location communities for the collection of Houston Informer and Texas Freeman publications, clipping, and photographs. The Houston Informer Foundation will also host a series of in-person lecture series and quarterly workshops in museums, libraries, science centers, historical societies, and even online exhibits through Google celebrating the history and influence of the Black Press, specifically the history and contributions of Houston Informer and Texas Freeman newspaper. Beyond the above, the Houston Informer Foundation will support individuals and institutions committed to advancing the greater understanding of how newspapers from various viewpoints encountered the full range of life in their day in Houston.

About Houston Informer Foundation

The Houston Informer Foundation, Inc. (HIFI) is a non-profit organization based in Houston. Its mission is the preservation of the Houston Informer and Texas Freeman publications, bulletins, annual reports, institutional and personal letters between owners and legal matters. info@houstoninformerfoundation.org | www. houstoninformerfoundation.org

Rutherford B. H. Yates Museum

The R. B. H. Yates Museum is a non-profit organization and was founded in 1996. It is based in Freedmen’s Town, Texas and is the steward of six of these historic homes, including some of the most significant and recognizable ones that were built by former community leaders; it also holds five empty lots, for a total of 11 archaeologically significant sites. Visit the Museum by appointment only (713) 739-0163| info@rbhy.org | www.rbhy.org