Although currently used as a salon, this modern building designed by John S. Chase served as the first permanent headquarters of the Teachers State Association of Texas. The association, founded in 1884 by faculty members at Prairie View State Normal School (now Prairie View A&M), fought to get equal pay and working conditions for African American teachers in Texas. Members opposed segregation in the state's schools and supported Heman M. Sweatt's 1946-50 lawsuit against the University of Texas, which would allow African Americans to enter the university's law school. The organization disbanded in 1966, following the desegregation of the Texas State Teachers Association.

Watch the following video to learn more about Civil Rights in Texas. This video was produced for inclusion in the African Americans in Texas mobile tour found in our Texas Time Travel Tours mobile app. For more information about the mobile tour and African American cultural heritage in Texas, visit the African American Heritage theme page at the following link: http://texastimetravel.com/travel-themes/main-african-american-heritage