DEFINING LEGACIES

Congress Woman Sheila Jackson Lee at the KCOH Legacy Gala

During the late 1960s, my family and I moved to Houston, Texas from Prairie View, Texas. I was 14. Several things stand out for me now. While born in East Texas, from the age of 3, I lived and grew up in Alamogordo, New Mexico, with a Mountain in my back yard, and lots and lots of open space. Looking back at my life in an area where both whites and blacks were in the minority, coming to Houston was foreign to me in many ways--the hustle and bustle of a big city and supposedly, opportunity. However, it was Houston where the complexities of race and culture loomed large and my education truly began.

Houston, the place where I got called Nigger for the first time. Houston, where I learned that preparing for a UIL competition could be wrenched from you simply because my friend's dad didn't want her to be musical accompaniment for a black girl. And Houston, where I saw the Temptations in concert (up close and personal), where I announced the half-time games at Jack Yates High School on KYOK, and where I had my first writing column called P. K. 's Book Corner at the Forward Times. Oh, yes. Houston, where I sometimes walked in front of a glass front radio station to wave at Skipper Lee Frazier who waved back.

Despite that first year, Houston became the nurturer and inspirer of a young black girl who got a chance to blossom as a storyteller and author. Houston, where I met successful entertainers, lawyers and doctors (many of whom I babysat for), who boosted my morale and self-confidence after that first year in coming to Houston. Houston, a place that made me proud to be Black at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and that moved me through the 70s and 80s and into the 21st Century with purpose and panache.

KCOH celebrated 60 years of broadcasting this past weekend. The event was held at the University of Houston Alumni Center in O'Quinn Great Hall. KCOH and I share years together, a few times side-by-side behind the mic. And yet the years have separated us. I've spent considerable time traveling, but it was always refreshing to drive down Almeda and know that KCOH was still there.

What defines a legacy? KCOH and I are the same age. Interesting because as a young woman, I considered KCOH a giant along with KYOK and the people who rocked the mic. Those studios hold memories for me that had a chance to waft through my mind as I sat at the Gala and watched those individuals who touched my life in ways that I am just beginning to appreciate and accept, sit at tables and walk across the stage. As Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee recalled the life of Congressman Mickey Leland (who I served as publicist in his last campaign before his untimely death), I realize that legacies are formed by the very presence of its work. I was there. And while as a 14 year old, I didn't know all the workings of those times, I do now and that is what defines legacies.

Rev. Bill Lawson and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

Watching Rev. William ("Bill") Lawson accept an award, I remember that my father made sure that he was one of the first people I met as he and my father attended college together (my Dad was the elder at the time). I also remember that Rev. Lawson, along with Rev. Douglas (who lived in my neighborhood) and others, helped bring Dr. King to Houston and that it was a brave and courageous thing they did. I also know that this very period of time continues to shape my activism today.

KCOH is not the same radio station, but that as it should be. Evolution is a natural part of any existence. I am not the same, but I'm built upon a foundation that has not wavered--a foundation that my parents, mentors, and teachers, helped me to build. And while KCOH finds its way into the light of the 21st Century (14 years in), there is much work to do because the legacy on which KCOH was built ... well, it is strong indeed. So, heres to 60 years more and counting!