DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Houston Negro Chamber of Commerce — and it's a story worth pulling over for. September 1935. Houston.
A group of prominent community leaders gets together with a purpose, and that purpose is nothing less than building something powerful out of circumstances that were designed to make building anything nearly impossible. Jim Crow laws had drawn hard lines around African-American neighborhoods, shutting black Houstonians out of opportunities beyond those borders. So these leaders did what determined people do — they organized.
They founded the Houston Negro Chamber of Commerce, the HNCC, and it became the first successful group of its kind in Houston's black community. J.E. Robinson, Sr. stepped in as its first president.
And from the start, this chamber was not thinking small. Their mission reached wide — promoting the civic, economic, industrial, agricultural, and social welfare of Houston residents. Encouraging patronage of black enterprises.
Practical education in the trades and arts to sharpen business skills. And building a more amicable relationship between racial groups. That last one, in 1935, took as much audacity as any of the rest.
They set up offices in the Pilgrim Temple Building — a black-owned building, that detail matters — and worked from there from 1935 all the way until 1963, when they moved to where that marker stands today. Now, the work they took on went well beyond commerce. The HNCC encouraged residents to pay their poll taxes so they could become eligible to vote.
They pushed for fair housing. They pushed for fair employment practices. They contributed to international commerce.
They held contests, better business forums, and banquets to keep the community motivated and connected. That is not one organization doing one thing — that is a community institution doing everything it could with everything it had. Then the war came.
World War II turned that chamber office into something else entirely — a rations headquarters, serving the community through a different kind of crisis. By 1942, there was a junior chamber organized, bringing the next generation into the fold. The chamber provided platforms for national leaders.
It partnered with government programs. And women had been actively involved since the very beginning — holding offices as early as 1957. In 1964, under the leadership of Mack H.
Hannah, Jr., the chamber changed its name to the Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce — the HCCC. The name changed. The mission didn't.
Today, the HCCC still stands, still representing the interests of the African-American business community, still working toward that unity the founders built toward back in September of 1935. Eighty-some years of showing up. That's the marker.
That's the story.
What the marker says
In September 1935, several prominent community leaders organized the Houston Negro Chamber of Commerce (HNCC) to empower and promote African-American buinesses in the city. They focused on encouraging business within African-American communities, since Jim Crow laws prevented blacks from accessing opportunities outside of their neighborhoods. With J.E. Robinson, Sr. as its first president, it was the first successful group of this type in Houston's black community. The office was in the black-owned Pilgrim Temple Building from 1935 until moving here in 1963. The HNCC sought to promote the civic, ecnomic, industrial, agricultural and social welfare of Houston residents; encourage alrger patronacge of balc enterprises and practival educatino in the trades and arts to stimulate better business; and develop a more amicable relationship between racial groups. The organization also encouraged residents to pay their poll taxes in order to become eligible to vote, promoted fair housing and emplyment practives, contributed to international commerce, and held contests, better businessesformus, and baquets to motivate the African-American community. During World War II, their office served as a rations hedquarters. A junior chamber was organized in 1942. The chamger also provided platforms for national leaders and partnered with government programs. Women have been actively involved in the HNCC since its formation and hel d offices as early as 1957. In 1964, under the leadership of Mack H. Hannah, Jr., the chamber changed its name to the Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce (HCCC). Today, the HCCC continues to represent the interests of and promote greater unity among the African-American business community. (2008)