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All over the United States, communities and individuals banded together to support the country during the Second World War. Houston’s Third Ward was no different in this respect. In this special episode, UH graduate students Austin Lee and James Burke weave together accounts originally documented in the African American newspaper, The Houston Informer. From the men and women in the armed forces to the merchant marine sailing supply ships and the volunteers on the home front, Third Ward residents supported their country even amid segregation and racism. After the war, many of these same volunteers returned to their community and gave back in the form of long careers serving their neighbors.

This episode was written and recorded by Austin Lee and James Burke for the Center for Public History at the University of Houston.

An archive of the Houston Informer can be found at the African American History Research Center at the Gregory School, a part of the Houston Public Library system.

Music courtesy of:
OpenMusicArchive.org
Don’t Go ‘Way Nobody performed by George Lewis & His New Orleans Stompers and written by Buddy Bolden. PDM.
In The Dark-Flashes performed by Jess Stacy and written by Bix Beiderbeck. PDM.

freemusicarchive.org/
“Taboret,” “Rate Sheet,” “Lacquer Groove,” “The Coil Winds,” and “Ray Gun – FasterFasterBrighter” by Blue Dot Sessions. CC BY-NC 4.0.

https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
Anchor's Away. Performed by Navy Band.

Sound Effects by:
Freesound.org
S17-10 Depth charge with water sounds.wav by craigsmith. CC0 1.0.
old typewriter sounds by Grauda 1982. CC0 1.0.
06 Warsaw Długa street in february 2012 about 3 PM.wav by MaciekKubera. CC0 1.0.
Waves by Bittermelonheart. CC0 1.0.

Day of Infamy Speech courtesy of the National Archives:
President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” Speech. John G. Bradley. PDM.

The Center for Public History at the University of Houston. https://uh.edu/class/cph