Clifton “C. F.” Richardson behind his desk at the Houston Informer, 1920s

Coleridge-Taylor Choral Club of Houston, C. F. Richardson top center

This Week at the OA

The London-born, Black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s birthday was on this date in 1875, and John Jeremiah Sullivan and Joel Finsel reflect on his reach to the United States and subsequent impact on the ongoing civil rights movement.

From the Houston branch of the Coleridge-Taylor Choral Club emerged another leader in the civil rights movement, Clifton Frederick Richardson, who fought the KKK despite threats of assassination. His wife, Ruby Lee, stayed with him throughout, saying “she would rather die trying to protect him than live powerless to do anything.”

New Web Feature

Appalshop Spotlight: Nimrod Workman

Musician Nathan Salsburg reflects on the music of coal miner, songer, and activist Nimrod Workman, whose dedication to being “a union man” was highlighted in the Appalshop-produced documentary To Fit My Own Category.

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Oxford American x Burnaway

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rosenbaum House

In a feature article from Burnaway, Whitney Washington details the organized labor, design, and skill that went into the creation of the Rosenbaum House in Florence, Alabama, describing it as “one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s lesser-known masterpieces, but a masterpiece nonetheless.”

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Eyes on the South

From the Archive: The Katrina Decade

In this Eyes on the South feature, David G. Spielman documents the changing landscape of New Orleans in the first ten years following Hurricane Katrina through images that “chronicle endurance, neglect, and recovery.” Originally published in 2015, this collection is being resurfaced as part of the Hurricane Katrina: 20 Years After the Storm retrospective.

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ISSUE 129: SUMMER 2025

Our Summer Issue focuses on business and industry. Coined to describe Dallas’s booming financial sector, “Y’all Street” inspired our coverage of Southern industry: unique, fraught, promising, and ever-changing. Contributors include, Michelle Orange, Chris Pomorski, C. J. Bartunek, and more.

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