Lawson Legacy: How Reverend Bill Lawson became Houston's Pastor

Melanie Lawson Image
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Lawson Legacy: How Reverend Bill Lawson became Houston's Pastor
"I wanted to be a cartoonist" Instead, Reverend Bill Lawson became Houston's Pastor. "Lawson's Legacy" has candid, never-heard-before stories of his life's journey including peacefully integrating Houston, tireless community outreach, and how a letter written on a dare led to the love of his life."I wanted to be a cartoonist" Instead, Rev. Bill Lawson became Houston's Pastor. Lawson's Legacy has never-heard-before stories of his life's journey.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- "I wanted to be a cartoonist."

Instead, Reverend Bill Lawson became Houston's Pastor.

Three years before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, Reverend Lawson secretly met with city leaders at the Rice Hotel. When all was said and done, "White Only" signs came down across Houston, department stores welcomed Black customers without hassle, and hotels, restaurants and restrooms were no longer sectioned by race.

In the ABC13 Original "Lawson Legacy", Rev. Lawson and his family are sharing candid, never-heard-before stories of his life's journey, including peacefully integrating Houston and empowering it to become the most diverse city in America, his tireless community outreach, and how a letter written on a dare led to the love of his life.

Download our free app on your favorite streaming devices, like Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and GoogleTV to watch this story and more ABC13 Originals. Just search "ABC13 Houston."