With the Galveston landing of U.S. Army Gen. Gordon Granger in 1865, slavery in Texas ended. African bondsmen became freedmen, and women and children likewise became African Americans. Many left the plantations to join freedom colonies; others sought out opportunities in cities and towns. Today, the consequences of gentrification and rising property values challenge new generations.

Life in the Logwoods: the East Texas Timber Legacy interweaves the rugged history of this region with profiles of modern loggers, sawmill operators, tree farmers and migrant workers—all the people who do the demanding and dangerous work of bringing wood to market.

The Route to Emancipation by Black History Bike Ride follows three friends as they embark on a 350-mile cycling route from the Texas Capitol in Austin to the site where Juneteenth began in 1865. The journey takes viewers back through centuries of Black history in Texas.