Agatha Babino’s Story: A Narrative of the Formerly Enslaved

Explore the journey from slavery to freedom in an exhibit about the discoveries exploring one’s family tree at The Heritage Society’s The Albert & Ethel Herzstein Museum Gallery, at 1100 Bagby Street, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Tuesday to Saturday. The Museum of Undertold Texas History (MOUTH) is the exhibitor displaying Agatha Babino’s Story: A Narrative of the Formerly Enslaved.

“Dionne Babineaux, a Rice University graduate student, will be making her debut as a first-time exhibitor,” The Heritage Society’s executive director, Alison Bell said. “Her deep dive into her family roots through a slave narrative captures the untold stories of women who were enslaved in Louisiana and Texas.”

What is a Slave Narrative? During the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Writers’ Project Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives, 1936-1938, collected over 2,300 interviews from formerly enslaved African Americans. Over 300 of these interviewees were taken from people living in Texas, and Agatha Babino was one of them. The WPA narratives evidence the intention of formerly enslaved people to reconstruct and reshape their lives despite the hardships and challenges surrounding them.

“If you have ever wondered how your family ended up in Texas, you will be intrigued by the programs and speaker events around this exhibit,” Bell said. “Just as the curator dove into her family’s past for this exhibit, we would like to offer how you too can find your roots.”

“Through MOUTH, I have discovered a way to combine my love for history, research, teaching, and communities. MOUTH was founded to collect the stories of African Americans in early Texas. MOUTH’s executive director, Dionne Babineaux said. “Throughout history, African American Texans, tools in hand, built the infrastructure from which much of Texas would grow. It is my greatest pleasure to learn and share their stories.”

The multi-faceted exhibit will be available until November 9, 2024. Museum gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday, and tickets are only $5. In addition, visitors can enjoy the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo History Exhibit and an additional Texas history exhibit of the General Duncan Store with old-fashioned toys and a trunk show-and-tell. For tickets and/or inquiries about Black History field trips, group tours, family reunions, or museum gallery rentals, please see: www.heritagesociety.org.