Houston Legend and Activist, Trae Tha Truth, Incorporates “Slab Culture” Into The Mission of Activism
Juneteenth marks the liberation of the Black community in Texas and signifies a single date of celebration as we commemorate the emancipation of our people. Originally initiated in Galveston, Texas, June 19, 1865, marked the jubilee of enslaved African Americans as the holiday beckoned a new legacy for the celebration of freedom. Black Americans across the country gather in an assortment of functions to honor the holiday and acknowledge the history of our ancestors. This year, with police brutality continuously terrorizing the Black community by harassment and the unjust murders of Black people, Juneteenth has been marked by more than the range of festivals and events that inherently signify the celebration. This year Juneteenth was a monumental stone on the path towards the revolution against police brutality and racial injustice.
These past couple of months have been anything but celebratory for Black people in this country; they have been a reminder of the peril and the trauma we are subjected to by simply being Black in America. In the past couple of months Black people have been met in the mirror with the reflections of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, Elijah McClain and more. In these past couple of months our feet have been callused from the unabated marches, protests and rallies we have held for our people, our arms are tired from being exalted into fists that police will later see as weapons that will permit them to gun us down. With the increasing awareness of racial injustice and a revolution on the rise, Juneteenth dawns a new age for Black individuals this year and our people are proudly making it known. Of course, with Texas being the point of inception for the holiday, and Houston, Texas being the city that nurtured the late George Floyd, we had to put that H-Town spin on the act of protest.
Many may recognize Trae Tha Truth as the Houston legend that he is in the music industry, lately even more will salute him as the humanitarian and activist he continues to be. On June 2, 2020, Trae Tha Truth and Houston rap icon Bun B, pioneered the greatest protest the city of Houston has ever seen. George Floyd’s name was chanted among a caravan of 70,000 people as Houstonians marched from Discovery Green to City Hall in solidarity with his family and the mission to eradicate racial injustice and police brutality. Even prior to the murder of George Floyd and the racial injustices of today, Trae Tha Truth could be found among the rescue team of Hurricane Harvey that covered Houston in 2017, or even providing masks and food to those who are in need during this pandemic.
On Juneteenth Trae Tha Truth did not disappoint the spirit of Houston as he, and several other Houston legends, gathered for their own form of activism, “H-Tine” style. Houston rap legends, Bun B, Paul Wall and Trae Tha Truth were among those that pulled up for the “Say Their Names” Peace Ride that took place on June 19th. Slabs and Swangas were in full glory on 900 Emancipation Avenue in Houston Texas that day. Trae married the culture of Houston with the mission of traditional activism and formulated a celebration like no other city can. The streets and highways that lined the outskirts of Downtown Houston , typically plagued with bumper to bumper traffic, were shut-down for 2 hours that day. Police escorts could be seen outlining the paths for the candy painted Slabs that cruised through the city, signs of declaration for freedom and revolution danced in the wind of the topless Cadillacs with chrome Swangas. People could be seen parading the path along the Peace Ride, chanting the names of those whose lives have been lost to police brutality. The songs of DJ Screw, Bun B, Paul Wall and Trae Tha Truth were the spirituals that encouraged Houstonians that day as Slabs voyaged across the evacuated highways of Houston, Texas. “Slab Culture” originated in the 1980’s in Houston, it is a culture that personifies the creativity and recreation of Houstonian tradition. A Slab is identified as being an older model American car with a candy painted exterior, many would say a Slab is not complete without the adornment of Swangas. Chrome kissed rims protrude from the freshly shined tires of these big-bodied works of art, attention is immediately commanded for those who sport these cultural trophies. Parked in the driveways or side streets of Fifth Ward Houston, these laurels have been birthed from the inventiveness of Black Joy. For the most part, “Slab Culture” was once a demonstration of opulence and status. This year it was recreated as a form of activism and protest, molded by the hands that continue to carry the reputation of Houston, Texas.
Juneteenth has given Black people the permission to emanate their own tribute to freedom, to individualize their right to remembrance and celebration. This year, under the leadership of Trae Tha Truth, Houston commenced its own reverence for Juneteenth by honoring those who have been failed by justice system of today. We will continue to stand for those whose seats were tarnished at a table that was never meant for Us.
