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Fort Bend County honors Priscilla Graham for documenting Black communities' history
Summary
Fort Bend County presented a Feb. 6, 2025 proclamation recognizing Priscilla Graham for her Hollowed Ground series and decades of work documenting African American settlements, century‑old churches and historic marker sites. Graham reflected on Arcola and the moment that inspired her work.
Fort Bend County presented a proclamation on Feb. 6, 2025, honoring Priscilla Graham, a documentary photographer and author, for her work preserving the histories of African American communities. The proclamation, read on behalf of County Judge K.P. George, cited Graham's Hollowed Ground book series and decades of community history work.
The county staff member reading the proclamation said Graham's Hollowed Ground series chronicles more than 20 African American settlements, documents century‑old churches and lists 74 Harris County historical marker locations. The proclamation text named Graham "an extraordinary American documentary photographer, artist, author, filmmaker, and keynote speaker" and credited a 1994 juvenile justice conference speech as an early inspiration.
Graham said she first came to Fort Bend County more than 30 years ago to attend a historically Black school and to reconnect with her culture. She told the audience the remarks she heard while a young person — "too often when people need our best, we give them our worst" — were a turning point that set her on a career documenting communities often left out of mainstream histories.
"This is the 1st time in my life that a stranger saw value in my work," Graham said, thanking the judge's office and the people who came to support her. She invited those supporters to come forward for a photograph with the judge at the close of the recognition.
The ceremony on Feb. 6 was a formal recognition rather than a policy action; no motions or county decisions were recorded during the exchange. The event highlighted local historical preservation efforts in Arcola and Fort Bend County and the continuing work of community historians and documentarians.
