The Equity Action Team (EAT) is a coalition of community members and City of Austin staff focused on advancing racial equity in our communities through partnerships with City departments, non-profits, philanthropic entities and community-based groups.
The EAT meetings are dedicated to critical discussions and strategizing on how to best improve the quality of life for most directly impacted communities in Austin. Join the EAT and find more information on the dashboard.
Everyone is welcome to join the EAT! As a member, your responsibility is to attend and bring your community with you. During our meetings, we hear from community members and City staff to understand community needs and City projects and work together to produce better outcomes for all.
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EQUITY OFFICE ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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We'll be taking a break for the winter holidays, so this will be our last full newsletter for 2025. Look for news and events in the January 3rd, 2025 edition of the Equity Action Team Newsletter.
Have something you'd like to share, or want to connect with the Equity Office?
Email us anytime at equity@austintexas.gov
We hope to see you at an EAT meeting in 2025! |
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Join the
The City of Austin is a partner in the OGP - an international organization dedicated to making governments more open, inclusive, and responsive. Interested in being a part of the working group as a civil society partner?
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The City of Austin encourages you to prepare for winter weather. Don’t wait for the extreme cold, get ready now!
Anyone seeking a cold weather shelter who does not have the means to pay the fare will still be given a ride.
Cold Weather Shelter Hotline: 512-972-5055
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Todas las personas buscando un albergue nocturno de tiempo frío, hasta los que no puedan pagar el pasaje, se llevaran al albergue.
Llame a la línea directa de albergues nocturnos: 512-972-5055 |
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WHAT'S IN THE NEWSLETTER? |
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Click one of the buttons below to go to that section's content |
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Documentary released November 18th, 2024 by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department's Historic Preservation and Tourism Program
The Equity Office grounds itself in history, and knowing the racial history of Austin helps us understand how communities of color have been harmed--and how this harm is oftentimes endorsed by our local government.
As we move forward into a new solar year, we also have to look back and remember. If you've attended some of the trainings organized by the Equity Office, or attended an EAT meeting, you've no doubt heard about Freedmen's colonies here in Austin (also called Freedom colonies). One such Freedman Colony is Clarksville.
The Parks and Recreation Department's Historic Preservation and Tourism Program recently released a documentary about the Haskell House--a historic home located in the central-West Austin Freedmen Colony of Clarksville.
We hope you'll take about 30 minutes of your time to learn more about the Haskell family, the history of the home, the people of the Clarksville Freedmen Colony, and the harm that has been done to this community.
Examining history allows us to move forward with intention and understanding. It shows us the importance of telling stories and co-creating solutions with those most impacted here in our Capital City.
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Nikki Giovanni
June 7, 1943-December 9, 2024
Rest in Power
Love Poems & A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter by Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni is one of the most prominent black poets of her generation. Born on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tenn., she graduated from Fisk University and later studied at Columbia University. Giovanni creates strongly written poems to convey messages of love, frustration, alienation, and the black experience. She gained national fame with the publication of Black Feeling, Black Talk, Black Judgement in 1970. Full of the spirit of the black community during this era, her works captured the anger and frustration of many of its members.
Giovanni has been the recipient of grants from both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ford Foundation. She has taught English at Rutgers University, Ohio State University, and Queens College and has given frequent poetry readings. She is also known for several sound recordings of her poetry, including Truth Is On Its Way. She has also been a Professor of English at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
(Bowker Author Biography)
In a career that has spanned over three decades, Nikki Giovanni has perceptively recorded her observations of both the outside world and the gentle yet enigmatic territory of the self. When her poems first emerged from the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements of the 1960s, she immediately became a celebrated and controversial literary figure. One of the most commanding voices to grace America's political and poetic landscape, Nikki Giovanni's poems embody the fearless passion and spirited wit for which she is beloved and revered. From the sublime "Ego Tripping" to the tender "My House," Nikki Giovanni's mind-speaking, truth-telling poems compassionately evoke our nation's past, present, and future.
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SURVEYS + COMMUNITY INPUT |
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There are a couple of ways to get involved--
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Black For The Holidays
Date: December 14th, 2024
Time: 12pm to 6pm
Location: Dottiwood Studios: 1601 Headway Circle, Ste B, Austin, TX 78754
Purchase tickets here!
Black for the Holidays is more than a market—it’s a celebration of Black excellence and community spirit! Gather with us at the beautiful indoor Dottiewood Studios for a cozy, elevated shopping experience that showcases the creativity and talent of Black Austin.
What to Expect:
🎁 Shop Local: Browse a curated selection of goods from 30 Black-owned businesses.
📸 Black Santa Photos: Snap holiday memories with Black Santa!
🎨 DIY Keepsakes: Get crafty at our Ornament Making Station.
🏗️ STEM Gingerbread House Activation: A fun and educational activity for kids and families.
🍸 Holiday Sips & Treats: Exclusive for our VIP ticket holders.
✨ Instagrammable Moments: Capture the holiday magic in our beautifully decorated photo ops
🎨 Curated Art Pop-Ups: Explore creative works from talented local artists.
Whether you’re shopping for the perfect holiday gift or simply soaking in the festive vibes, Black for the Holidays is your one-stop holiday destination for family, fun, and community connection.
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📅 Friday, December 13th
🕛 9pm to 1am
📍1106 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, 78702
Join DJ Wyldflower, Stefon Osae, and Schithegod--We dancing away thought & sweating away worry. This is a House music party. Black and brown people are centered--all are welcomed!
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Join the Givens Recreation Center for its first-ever Deaf Social Night!
Date: Monday, December 23 from
Time: 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Givens Rec Center: 3811 E. 12th St., Austin, TX
This inclusive event welcomes individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and who are studying, learning or using American Sign Language (ASL).
Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy free refreshments, participate in group games, and socialize with other ASL users in a festive environment.
Deaf Social Night is free and open to the public.
For more information, please contact the Givens Recreation Center at 512-974-2430.
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📅Sunday December 15th + January 12th
🕛3:30pm to 5:30pm
📍The Center for Arts + Healing, 10202 Wommack Rd, Austin, TX 78748
Join us to share in
plática (heart-centered conversation), self-care practices, and
canto (song). This is a time to connect with others, nurture yourself, and refill your cup during the full moon. Pre-registration requested by Wed, Dec. 11 for the December date. Please email Lorie Martinez at maccwellness@austintexas.gov. |
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Yoga with Aneika
⏰Saturdays, 10:30am to 11:30am
📍Southeast Branch Public Library, 5803 Nuckols Crossing Rd, Austin, TX 78744
✨Last classes of 2024 are on December 7 & 14th! Drop-in for a little re-set! Class will resume Sat, Jan 11th. Focus on body awareness, connection with the breath, with gentle movement, and time for meditation and relaxation. The library has mats to share!
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Visit this major exhibition at the Blanton Museum of Art--Closes January 5, 2025
Native America: In Translation, was curated by artist Wendy Red Star. They curated the work of nine indigenous artists covering contemporary perspectives on memory, identity, and the history of photography.
The exhibit showcases influential intergenerational artists who represent various Native nations and affiliations. Their work in photography, installation, multimedia assemblage, and video confronts the historic and often tense relationship between photography and how Native Americans are represented, and it also reimagines what it means to be a citizen today in North America.
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GRANTS + TRAINING + SERVICES |
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On August 8, 2024, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-46 requiring the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to direct public hospitals and acute care facilities that accept Medicaid and/or CHIP funding to collect demographic information on patients. Under Executive Order GA-46, hospital staff are directed to ask about patients’ immigration status. Moreover, the Order requires HHSC to direct hospitals to collect and report the healthcare costs associated with undocumented patients. Hospitals are to begin collecting this information on November 1, 2024.
Although hospitals are required to ask you for this information, it DOES NOT require you to answer.
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Grant for Technology Opportunities Program (GTOPs) Now Accepting Applications
The letter of interest period for GTOPs Core funding is open now through January 10. This matching grant supports Austin organizations working to expand digital access and provide technology training in underserved communities, with awards ranging from $10,000 to $35,000. Community members passionate about digital equity can also apply to serve as review panelists—stipends are available! Learn more:
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Triple WIC is back and now here to stay year-round ONLY at Sustainable Food Center's Farmers’ Markets!
SFC is excited to offer SFC Farmers’ Market customers shopping with WIC the chance to TRIPLE benefits to buy fresh, local fruits and veggies at both the Downtown and Sunset Valley SFC Farmers Markets locations. Thanks to funding from Travis County, they are now offering Triple WIC all year long starting Nov. 2nd.
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Apply for the HBCU Scholarship Giveaway and show us why you deserve to win.
👉🏽Record a 1-minute video sharing why you deserve this scholarship and your career dreams and tag @AAULOfficial. 👉🏽Follow @AAULOfficial on Instagram. 👉🏽Tag 3 friends who will follow us too! |
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TLACT knows you have questions about the process to correct your name and gender marker on your ID documents and need help now. TLACT is offering TEN - COUNT ‘EM - TEN opportunities for you to meet with volunteer attorneys for free and ask questions about correcting you name and gender marker on your ID documents. They will provide written and video resources to explain the process, as well as fillable forms for you to get the court orders you need or get existing combined orders split into two separate, usable orders.
Sign up is required to attend and space is limited.
Sign ups will close three days before each clinic. |
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The AARC’s Community Exhibits Program displays year-round exhibitions that celebrate the diverse and dynamic cultural heritage, history, identity and creativity of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. The AARC's Community Exhibits Program invites artists and curators based in Central Texas to submit a proposal for exhibits for our 2025-2026 Exhibit Calendars. The AARC’s Community Exhibits Program aims to foster and promote exhibits that embody the AARC's mission, vision, and values to create spaces of belonging and healing for Asian American communities in Austin and beyond.
Selected Artists and Curators will be provided with support to showcase their work and research, with access to AARC exhibiting spaces, facilities, funded community outreach/professional development opportunities, marketing and other resources.
The application will open on Monday, October 7, 2024. The deadline to apply is January 12, 2025 at 11:59pm.
If you have any questions or need assistance with the application, please email AARC@AustinTexas.gov.
The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact (512) 974-3914
or Relay Texas 7-1-1.
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Volunteer for Youth Career Fest!
The City of Austin’s Youth Initiatives Office is hosting our 12th Annual Youth Career Fest on January 22nd, 2025 (9am-12pm). The event will take place at the Palmer Event Center, where we expect to host 3,500+ students and 150+ companies/universities/organizations.
We are still looking fantastic individuals to assist us as volunteers, with shifts from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM, on the day of the event.
Tasks will include:
- Registration/ sign-in for schools, vendors, and students
- Handing out swag bags to students near the main entrance
- Assisting with bus loop drop/pick up and traffic safety.
- Providing navigational assistance / support with student supervision
If you are interested in lending us a hand, please fill out this year’s Volunteer Registration link below. https://airtable.com/appIDZ9CN8zBNHbov/pagbKCDNEBbfqUvme/form
All volunteers will receive a Youth Career Fest T-Shirt!
If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at YouthCareerFest@austintexas.gov, our office greatly appreciates the support!
Donate Swag to the Youth Career Fest!
The City of Austin’s Youth Initiatives Office will be hosting the 12th Annual Youth Career Fest on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 9am-12pm at the Palmer Events Center.
We are looking for some appealing and attractive SWAG items for our high school attendees!
If your organization/department would like to DONATE any giveaway items, please complete our brief Swag donation form here: https://airtable.com/appIDZ9CN8zBNHbov/shrFNaYTupc2PbzyH
Last year, we hosted over 4500 students, so we greatly appreciate any and all donations.
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Looking for ways to be in solidarity with people most impacted here in Austin? Check out this list curated by Austin Mutual Aid (AMA) |
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