Black History Month is celebrated across America every February, but history is constantly being written right here in Harris County. This month – and every month – Precinct 4 is dedicated to uplifting the voices of Black changemakers throughout the region. Here are three Harris County residents who are shaping the future of education, activism, and justice.
Superintendent Dr. Anthony Mays
Alief ISD Superintendent Dr. Anthony Mays began his career as a special education teacher in Pflugerville ISD. Over his 20-year career, he has served school districts across Texas as an assistant principal, principal, senior director of schools, and now as a superintendent.
“The legacy I hope to leave as an educator is something I’m thinking about more and more often,” said Mays. “It really is about a notion that you can do anything you want to do. There’s nothing you can want in this life that is beyond your reach if you can jump in that vehicle of education and let it take you as far as you want to go.”
Perata Bradley
Born in raised in Freedmen’s Town in Houston’s Fourth Ward, Perata Bradley is a contemporary artist and activist who uses photography and sculpture to highlight the historical significance of her community.
“I don’t want my work to influence just those who have been in charge,” said Bradley. “My work needs to speak for everyone ─ those that are voiceless and their concerns… My work is to spotlight those hard truths that we don’t want to address [like] gentrification [and a] lack of housing… My work will put the spotlight on Freedmen’s Town. It’s not just to be an artist. It’s to really bring the change, so we won’t be disappointed 20 or 30 years from now. [We’ll know] we made the right decisions.”
County Attorney Christian Menefee
Christian Menefee is the first Black American and the youngest person ever to serve as Harris County Attorney. First elected in 2020 at age 32, Menefee has been a staunch advocate for environmental protection, voting rights, workers’ rights, and immigrants’ rights.
“It's possible to be young, to be Black in a position and to be unafraid,” said Menefee. “Whether you're taking on somebody in a boardroom or in the governor's mansion, the voices in our communities that have typically been ignored deserve to have someone speaking for them, who is unafraid of the consequences and unafraid of the pushback. So, I hope that my legacy being in this office will be that I was unafraid and ready to take on whatever battle came in order to protect the communities that needed it.”
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