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

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 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.