He earned it

Texans legend Andre Johnson celebrates HOF election with star-studded, champagne-fueled bash

Andre Johnson and Kareem Jackson

Photo courtesy of Public Content

Houston Texans legend Andre Johnson celebrated his election to the Pro Football Hall of a Fame with a lavish party at nightclub and restaurant Ciel on Sunday, April 7. Johnson will be the first Texan enshrined in the hall at a ceremony that will be held on August 3.

The event was packed with 250 of Johnson’s closest and most famous friends. These included Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair, fellow Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Houston Astros owners Jim and Whitney Crane. Other celebs in attendance included Houston hip hop legend Bun B, former Texans coach Gary Kubiak, and a number of former NFL stars including Adrian Peterson, Vonta Leach, Clinton Portis, Jonathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, and Santana Dotson. Johnson’s mother Karen gave a speech about her son’s incredible career.

Ciel chef Will Ducante served a luxurious five-course meal that started with wagyu dumplings, wagyu tartare, tempura rock shrimp, and avocado salad. Guests dined on a surf and turf of lobster and Australian wagyu filets. For dessert, noted Houston bakery Who Made the Cake! prepared a towering six-layer red velvet construction designed by Nadine Moon. As an extra special touch, each layer was colored to coincide with the various teams Johnson has played with since high school.

The event was sponsored by Brown-Foreman, the illustrious distiller responsible for iconic brands like Tequila Herradura, Old Forester, and Woodford Reserve, and produced by Lasting Empressions Event Design & Production. With the drinks flowing, the party was hosted by 97.9 The Box’s DJ Keisha Nicole, a close friend of Johnson’s.

Johnson also received a selection of gifts from his well-wishers. The Cranes presented him with a custom Astros Jersey featuring his name and the number 24 to mark his induction into the Class of 2024. Johnson’s friend Lynn Price gave him a vintage Chevrolet Corvette, painted with the Texans logo and a large 80 on the doors, his Houston Texans jersey number.

The party went deep into the early morning, according to a release, and featured a toast with premium Ace of Spades champagne.

Johnson was selected third by the Texans in the 2003 draft and played with the team for 12 seasons. In that time, he made his mark as one of the finest receivers in NFL history. He holds the Texans records for most career receptions, career receiving yards, career receiving touchdowns, receptions in a single season, receiving yards in a single season, seasons with 100+ receptions, and best receiving yards per game average.

The former wide receiver is also famous in the Houston area for his philanthropy. For Christmas 2012, he spent nearly $20,000 on presents for children in Child Protective Services, funded by his own Andre Johnson Foundation. Afterwards, he worked with the Houston Police Department as part of their Blue Santa program.

Other players who were announced as part of the Hall of Fame 2024 Class were Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar of the Denver Broncos, football player turned pro-wrestler Steve “Mongo” McMichael, return specialist Devin Hester, defensive end Julius Peppers, and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears will begin the NFL pre-season by playing in the Hall of Fame Game on August 1.

Photo by Xavier Burke

Rockets star Jalen Green and Andre Johnson.

parties houston-texans celebrities

closing the gaps

Texas no longer leads U.S. for racial progress, new report says

Photo by Jerry Kavan on Unsplash

WalletHub's report is released annually ahead of MLK Day.

Texas has been overtaken as the No. 1 state that has made the most racial progress, according to a new study.

The Lone Star State led the nation in 2025, but now ranks in third place behind Georgia (No. 1) and Mississippi (No. 2). It also ranked No. 5 nationally in the list of states with the most racial integration.

WalletHub's "States That Have Made the Most Racial Progress" study is released annually ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The report compares all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 relevant metrics divided into two main rankings: racial integration (which the study defines as "the current integration levels of white people and Black people") and racial progress (defined as "the levels of racial progress achieved over time").

The report's author clarifies that the study focuses only on the racial integration between Black people and white people "in light of racial tensions in recent years that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement."

"We released this report ahead of the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against Black people," the report says.

The study further divided each ranking into four main categories measuring the gaps between white people and Black people over time; spanning employment and wealth, education, social and civic engagement, and health. Texas performed the best in education and health, ranking No. 4 nationally in both categories, and it ranked in sixth place for its social and civic engagement. The state ranked 16th in the category for employment and wealth.

According to WalletHub, Texas has "done a lot" to reduce gaps in health outcomes for white and Black residents, such as reducing gaps in health insurance coverage, and reducing the share of Black Texans suffering from "poor health" and diabetes. It also notes that Texas "made the second-most progress when it comes to obesity," but it did not acknowledge the racial bias in body mass index (BMI) that has been increasingly flagged in recent years.

The report further praises Texas for reducing the gap in business ownership between white and Black Texans, and for its improvement in reducing discrimination in the parole system. WalletHub does not offer data behind the parole claim.

"It’s encouraging to look at the data and see that some states have made significant strides toward racial equality over the past few decades," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo regarding the overall report. "This change demonstrates that state-level policies and residents’ attitudes regarding equality have grown considerably better."

Though racial disparity gaps are closing between white and Black people, racial profiling and discrimination is still a major issue affecting Black people and other people of color across the country.

In 2023, a senate bill banned public Texas universities from having diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and programs, prompting warnings of discrimination against Black, Hispanic, and other marginalized students, including those with disabilities.

The top 10 states with the most racial progress in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Georgia
No. 2 – Mississippi
No. 3 – Texas
No. 4 – North Carolina
No. 5 – Maryland
No. 6 – Florida
No. 7 – New Jersey
No. 8 – Massachusetts
No. 9 – Louisiana
No. 10 – New Mexico

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