H-Town’s paper of record recently made a new Facebook friend. This past February, the Houston Chronicle announced a content partnership with popular local online community Black Houston, after the group’s founder Christopher Bush reached out with the idea.
Before the collaboration became official, the Pulitzer-winning newsroom sent the paper’s first Black columnist, Joy Sewing, to host an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) for the Facebook group. The announcement fittingly landed during Black History Month. Sewing later kicked off the partnership with a series of columns that explored politics and power, as well as the economic impact and cultural legacy of Black Houstonians.
According to Jennifer Chang, senior director of digital experimentation and innovation at the Houston Chronicle, the newsroom occasionally noticed sizable traffic stemming from the group even before the partnership. Initially, she took it as a simple win. But the Chronicle recently wrapped up an American Press Institute-sponsored cohort for developing social media creator partnerships, and that’s when Black Houston’s founder reached out.
“I actually don't think of this so much as an influencer [or] creator partnership as much as it is community outreach,” said Chang. “It’s the same way you would have community outreach, traditionally in a newsroom, by going to the public library or a local church. In this case, it’s going to an online community with a digital space.”
Black Houston was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic when restaurants faced the lockdown and financial uncertainty. The Facebook group initially gained traction by supporting and reviewing Black-owned establishments, ultimately culminating in a popular food truck event called Houston Grub Park, which the Chronicle newsroom had covered.
“That led to more people reaching out to me,” said Bush, who runs his own marketing firm, Team Hiploch. He felt the group had supported Black-owned restaurants when they needed it the most, but that the mission for Black Houston should expand beyond the restaurant community.
Bush, who goes by “C Dot Wayne” on Facebook, pivoted the group, addressing broader issues impacting Black Houstonians. He calls it “case work.” The nearly 150,000 members, many who are Black women, reach out to him about issues they face with navigating local businesses and services. In turn, Bush leverages the group’s prominence to advocate for its members.
Chang says Bush’s hands-on oversight and moderation helps ease concerns of spam and social media disinformation often associated with Facebook groups (although she is quick to clarify that Black Houston readily allows healthy debate). Bad actors get the boot, she said. Bush estimates roughly 25,000 accounts have been blocked from Black Houston; the group is protective of its membership.
This partnership with Houston Chronicle coincides with a busy time in Bush’s life. He is currently enrolled in the University of Texas-Austin’s MBA program.
“You’re dealing with high-level professionals in Jennifer Chang and [executive editor] Kelly Scott,” said Bush. “They know how to maneuver the problems [and] meet deadlines. I’m doing an MBA right now, and they’re very gracious with my time. Can we get it all aligned? We’re still figuring out some pieces here and there, but the people are making it work. We’re making it work.”
Tandy Lau is an award-winning journalist currently based in Jersey City. He currently works as a staff reporter covering public safety for the New York Amsterdam News in Harlem. He can be contacted at tandylau1995@gmail.com.
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