John Henry "Jack" Yates(July 11, 1828 – December 22, 1897) was a hero recognized as the“Father of Black Houston.Yates works were not the cause of salvation, but evidence of his salvation.When Yates and his family first came out of slavery, in 1865, there were no institutions for African Americans in Houston.He helped establishFreedman's Town, purchased property, and began ministering to the community. In 1868, Yates was named the first full-time preacher of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Houston's first Black Baptist church. As a community leader, Yates organized Houston Academy, nowBooker T. Washington High School; Bethel Baptist Church; and Houston's Emancipation Park. It is through Yates’ life and legacy that we can see that freedom takes work. Fueled by prayer and a connection to the unseen, there is no doubting Yates devotion and trust in the sacred or the divine. Black faith, today, is much more complicated. For many of us Christianity is a core element of our identities, even if we haven’t attended a church service in decades or led spotless lives. For those of us of different faiths, Black church is almost always rooted in our family lineage.Regardless of who or what you believe in, good works serve to make our faith tangible and meaningful, benefiting both ourselves and those around us. What kind of Ancestor do you want to be? This question stretches beyond how we individually want to be remembered by our descendants. It is about the systems that we set in motion, every moment of every day. Each of our actions connects people and places across time and space. We are all future ancestors.“Faith Without Works Is Dead” - James 2:14-26. The photography session was held on November 1, 2025, was just one of many events. The Sankofa Emancipation project installed an altar at MECA for the NOCHE DE LA OFRENDA. There was an Artists Talk on October 25, 2025, from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm at The Community Artists’ Collective, and a “Book Talk” at Kindred Stories on November 19, 2025.The “Faith Without Works” photos debuted on December 6, 2025, at the opening of the Community Artists’ Collective Ashé Market. The photos will be accompanied by food, music, and a special pop-up art installation.
FAITH IN BLOOM ARTIST TALK
Photos by April Frazier
Emancipation Park Juneteenth Pop Up
For the Juneteenth 2025 celebration, the Emancipation Park Conservancy commissioned artists Kristi Rangel and Britanny Mayfield to create a Sankofa Emancipation Project pop-up. Together they collaborated to recreate a Jubliee carriage adorned with flowers and greenery.
