Black resident tells of life in segregation
Ernestine Brooks recalled her daily routine of attending the Pflugerville Colored School before going to pick cotton as a child. Her father regularly preached the importance of education to his children, but stressed that labor in the fields was honest work.
The longtime Pflugerville resident said that while schools and buildings were segregated, children didn’t see skin color. She and her friends grew up alongside their German neighbors, with whom they interacted frequently.
Brooks offered details on days past during a Black History Month celebration this month at the Pflugerville Library. The event included narratives of longtime Pflugerville families, a reading of Louis Smith’s slave narrative and a short video on the historic “Colored Addition” cemetery in Pflugerville.
The event also included a storytelling panel hosted by Meme Styles and led by Mayor Victor Gonzales and Brooks.
Though she came from humble beginnings, Brooks expressed pride in her roots and her hometown. But she said there is still a void in her life. Her father’s gravesite is not clearly marked at the “Colored Addition” cemetery.
“I didn’t know anything about getting a tombstone back then,” she told the audience gathered at the library.
Brooks said her daughter found the approximate location of her father’s grave through Find a Grave, which offers a searchable online database of cemetery records.
“I have tried to find out (exactly) where he’s buried,” Brooks said. “I just want to find my dad.”
Styles, a founding member of the nonprofit Black Pflugerville, said Brooks’ story is not unusual.
“The markers are simply sticks, pieces of steel or a brick,” she said. She urged the audience to get involved in cemetery restoration efforts so that part of history is not lost.
Black Pflugerville is hosting its next cleanup day at the cemetery March 17. City Council Member Jim McDonald, who serves on the Black Pflugerville board, added an agenda item to discuss the city’s potential role in restoration efforts.
“It takes everyone to make a change,” Styles said, adding that while black people may be the face of Black Pflugerville, the organization is open to everyone.
Styles said three historic black homes remain standing in Pflugerville.
Brooks reminded youths that their financial situation should never be a hindrance to reaching their dreams.