October 24, 2025
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
AframNews.com
Vol.30, Issue 40
FREE
African-American News&Issues
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
THE GRINDING WHEELS OF GENTRIFICATION IN HOUSTON By: Fred Smith
FROM HOTSPOT TO SHUTDOWN By: Roy Douglas Malonson
The Turkey Leg Hut, founded around 2015 in Houston’s Third Ward at 4830 Almeda Road, rose quickly to local prominence. It began as a pop-up across from the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and then opened a brick-and-mortar location. The restaurant gained media attention for its festive atmosphere, long lines, and signature smoked and stuffed
turkey legs. It quickly became a cultural landmark in the area, especially popular among celebrities and social media influencers. However, behind the success and popularity, financial and legal troubles were quietly brewing. By early 2024, the business’s struggles had beShutdown on pg. 3 come public knowledge when
In Houston, the engines of so-called progress are roaring through the city’s historic Black neighborhoods — paving over culture, memory, and legacy in the name of “revitalization.” What’s being called growth is, for many residents, nothing less than cultural erasure. Communities like Third Ward, Fifth Ward, Independence Heights, and Sunnyside once stood as symbols of Black resilience and entrepreneurship. Families built homes there after being denied access to other parts of the city. Churches, barber shops, and small businesses gave those areas their heartbeat. But now, the sound of bulldozers drowns out that rhythm. Rents have surged. Property taxes have climbed. And longtime homeowners — many of them seniors — are receiving offers they can’t refuse or afford to match. What was once home is being rebranded as “up-and-coming,” while the people who made it vibrant are pushed further away. The faces are changing, but the story is familiar — a story of profit over people. Developers call it revitalization, but it often means replacement. Coffee shops rise where corner stores once stood. Condos replace community centers. Murals painted with pride are scraped away for minimalist walls. Houston’s Black population in these neighborhoods continues to shrink as wealthier, often white newcomers flood in, drawn by what’s being marketed as “authentic AA culture” — the very culture being erased.