The Victoria Black History Festival back after five-year hiatus, sets sights on annual continuation
Published 7:00 pm Sunday, February 8, 2026
The Black History Steering Committee celebrated 100 years of Black American history Saturday to honor the century since historian Carter G. Woodson first established “Negro History Week” in 1926, a movement that evolved from a local scholarly initiative into a national month-long recognition of Black achievement and progress.
In Victoria, this centennial milestone provided a backdrop to celebrate how local families and innovators have navigated this century – from the era of segregation through the digital revolution – while maintaining a distinct cultural identity in the Crossroads.
“We did our best to make it happen,” said Gordon Williams, newest member of the Black History Steering Committee, and chairman of the Black History Parade. “I’ve been here [in Victoria] since 2011 and I wanted to help impart on the younger generations that we are all Americans, and we are all part of this story.”
The Victoria chapter of the Black History Steering Committee is a non-profit organization aimed at “to plan, support, and promote activities and events during Black History Month to enrich and educate the Victoria Community.” According to their promotion page for the festival, it served to “bring together families, local businesses, artists, and organizations to celebrate the richness of Black heritage and the impact of generations past and present.”
The festivities began with a community parade that served as a moving timeline of history. Featuring local marching bands and dance clubs, and floats from historic churches and organizations, the procession wound through the city streets, drawing residents to the sidewalks before culminating at the Victoria Community Center Annex.
“It’s important to have these events to show what previous generations have done to make this country what it is today,” said Doc Brown, President of the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry National Association Houston Chapter. “It has been said that if the [Buffalo Soldiers] had not been around, this country’s progress would have been held back about another 50 years.”
Loading …The National Association of the 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Regiments serve to honor the original two regiments of cavalry men for colored men during the Civil War. Dedicated to upholding the century-long legacy of these “Buffalo Soldiers” of that era, whose historic military service and persistence as symbols of African American patriotism remain integral to the story of American westward expansion, the Houston Chapter has been working to raise public awareness and interest in the history and accomplishments of the Buffalo Soldiers since 1991.
“The Buffalo Soldiers of the 1860s and 1870s fought the Native Americans, the Camancheros, and outlaws while escorting the wagon trains west,” Brown said. “They also built forts and settlements for those settlers that were coming west. It’s important that we keep Black history alive, and it’s important that young black people know that the people who came before them did a lot to make this culture and this country what it is today.”
Central to this celebration was the lived reality that Black history is American history. The festival did not treat the contributions of Black communities as separate or isolated chapters, but as the essential heartbeat of the city’s – and country’s – development. From the laborers who built the regional railroads to the Buffalo Soldiers who helped secure our freedom and the educators and entrepreneurs in between, the event underscored that the story of Victoria cannot be told without the story of its Black residents.
