Project Gives Neighbors 'A Seat At The Table' To Restore East Lubbock's Economy

Stories From "The Flats"

S2P4: In 1923, the city of Lubbock established an ordinance confining African Americans to an eastern area of the city. Out of that confinement grew a tight-knit community of educators, innovators and leaders. In this episode, we explore an area known as "the flats"—one of the first Black communities within Lubbock. We hear the stories of the leaders who came from "the flats." As current leadership pushes the community forward, they reflect on aspects of the past that helped East Lubbock flourish—that need restoration and preservation.

The Caviels

S2P3: With little opportunity for African American pharmacists at the height of Jim Crowe, Alfred and Billie Caviel eventually found it in the flat, dusty town of Lubbock. In the 60s, when Lubbock was segregated, the Caviels opened a successful pharmacy that eventually became a celebration of Black history in the city. As one Lubbock local points out, it’s important to remember the roots of Black history exist in Lubbock’s own community and were planted by trailblazers like the Caviels.

Project Gives Neighbors 'A Seat At The Table' To Restore East Lubbock's Economy

S2N5: Down Parkway Drive, businesses dot the side of the road. But you also see empty buildings and shopping centers—some, in pretty rough shape. Cosby Morton said it wasn’t always like this. Money stayed within the community rather than being spent on another side of town...That changed after desegregation and urban renewal efforts led by the city that caused a shift in population, recalled Morton.