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The Front Row: The Caviel Museum of African American History

Don Holladay serves as a member of the Roots Historical Arts Council board.
Clint Barrick
Don Holladay serves as a member of the Roots Historical Arts Council board.

The Caviel Museum of African American History is participating in its first, First Friday Art Trail. Don Holladay joins the Front Row to share more about what’s in store for this Lubbock Museum.

Tell us about the area in this part of Lubbock, about the background.

We’re right along avenue A, and they tell me way back before the interstate that Avenue A was the highway from Amarillo to wherever, Snider, Abilene, what have you. On the west side of Avenue A was what our local historian, who’s a member of our Roots Board, says was the flats neighborhood, which was in the days of segregation, that was where all the African American—in those days they called ‘colored’—citizens lived.

It was under served by the city, but was a unique self-contained community. They talk about all the businesses they used to have along Avenue A and on the flats. They had hotels, restaurants, beauty parlors and many other things. One was the Caviel Pharmacy, which was was on the east side of Avenue A on 17th street…This was alleged to be the first pharmacy owned by an African American in West Texas.

And that’s where we are now…

This is an opportunity to renew the history of East Lubbock and in doing that, hopefully reestablish a stronger minority identity in this part of the community…There’s an awful lot of history that we’re in danger of losing.

Listen to the full interview at the top of the article.

Clinton Barrick is the Director of Programming for the network of stations that comprise Texas Tech Public Radio. He has served in this capacity for over twenty-five years, providing Classical Music to the airwaves of the South Plains and expanding Texas Tech Public Radio’s offering of news and cultural programs in response to station and network growth.