"Tomorrow will be better than today."
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner recalls his mother's words of wisdom in the latest installment of "Conversations for Change."
In an ongoing effort to create awareness and open dialogue surrounding race and social injustice, the McNair family sits down with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner for an eye-opening discussion.
Led by Houston Texans Co-founder and Senior Chair Janice McNair, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Cal McNair and Houston Texans Foundation Vice President Hannah McNair, Turner opens up about his journey as a black man and native Houstonian in this week's "Conversations for Change."
"Even in our city, in neighborhoods that have been underserved and under-resourced just like the one in which I grew up in and just like the one I still live in, the frustrations are where people are wanting to see systematic change for the better," Turner said. "Quite frankly, and not to oversimplify, people just want better. They don't want to feel like they are second-class citizens living in second-class neighborhoods."
Turner, who grew up in the Acres Homes community in northwest Houston, was one of nine children raised by a single mother who worked as a housekeeper at the Rice Hotel. After losing his father at age 13 to cancer, Turner overcame social and economic adversity to become senior class president and Klein High School valedictorian before graduating from Harvard.
In his conversation with the McNair family, Turner shares various stories of growing up poor, being bussed 18 miles to a different neighborhood school and how having a brother with mental disabilities inspired him to pursue a political career.
After serving more than 25 years in the Texas House of Representatives, Turner is currently in his second term as mayor of Houston.
The McNair family sits down with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner for an eye-opening discussion about race and social injustice.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
An image from the June 23, 2020 Conversations for Change shoot with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
