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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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Save the Date for the 2024 Equity Forum:
🌎
Another World is Possible🌎
Coming up on Saturday, January 27th, 2024 in Austin, TX!
Time: 9:30am-4:30pm
Location: Vuka, 5540 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78756
Interpretation provided in Spanish & ASL | Light breakfast & full lunch served
More information coming soon!
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'“Number one, we’re reclaiming what is ours,” Salter [Movetia Salter, leader of Outdoor Afro's Austin chapter] told me as we stretched our legs over a bed of rocks on the trail. 'We have entrenched in our speech: Black folks don’t go outside; Black folks don’t hike; Black folks don’t farm. Yes, we do! We are the original hikers. Look at Africans. Look at them with their running and their agriculture. They do all these things, and we are them.'"
Making Memories
The bottom photo shows some of our staff from the Equity Office stopping to pose on the South Lamar pedestrian bridge while hiking together on the hike and bike trail this winter.
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Edited by Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson
In this exquisite anthology of letters and illustrations, Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson bring together a constellation of influential Black figures to write to the people, places, and moments that mean the most to them. With a foreword from John Legend and contributions from Brontez Purnell, Morgan Jerkins, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Dr. Imani Perry, among many others, Black Love Letters is an ode to a phenomenal community: a testament to the fact that where there has been pain and suffering, there has also always been immeasurable, irrepressible joy and love. |
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SURVEYS & COMMUNITY INPUT |
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A CHIP (Community Health Improvement Plan) is an action-oriented plan that outlines the community health issues based on CHA (Community Health Assessment) findings. The community and partners work together to identify how issues will be addressed and how to measure progress. Ultimately, the long-term goal is to improve the community’s health.
(Source: National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Community members, partners, and stakeholders are working together to address health issues where we live, learn, work, and play. Events were convened where Community members discussed what improvements they would like to see. This process and its findings are summarized in the Community Health Assessment (CHA). Using the community’s feedback, a comprehensive Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) was drafted. Partners and stakeholders throughout Austin/ Travis County are working on the CHIP’s strategies and objectives with the shared goal of making measurable progress in each area.
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The Texas Development Broadband Development Office (BDO)
and the public comment period for the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan (TDOP)
Austin Energy’s Customer Assistance Program (CAP) Team is working with HACA and Financial Services to share information with our community partners about TDOP. TDOP will serve as a roadmap for expanding the availability of reliable and affordable broadband, device access, digital skills training, and cybersecurity awareness to promote digital opportunities for all Texans.
The TDOP is open for public comment through January 5th.
The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) has released its draft of the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan for public comment.
To read the Digital Opportunity Plan and provide comments, please use this form: http://broadbandfortexas.com/tdop.
The BDO is accepting public comment on the Digital Opportunity Plan through Jan. 5, 2024.
The public comment process is open to all Texans, and the BDO encourages all residents, local governments, community-based organizations and others to provide feedback.
The BDO would like your help in promoting the opportunity to comment with your colleagues and stakeholders.
The BDO is especially interested in hearing from individuals for whom broadband access, affordability and adoption have been challenging, including adults aged 60 and older, veterans, English language learners [Emergent Bilinguals], individuals living with disabilities, people who primarily live in rural areas, individuals belonging to racial and ethnic minority groups and those living at or below the federal poverty level, as well as the organizations that serve these communities.
Our Texas Digital Opportunity Plan wouldn’t be possible without your input and efforts to reach Texas residents.
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Be part of the bigger picture!
It’s time to make our home better for today and for the future.
Climate change affects us all, but the impacts are not felt equally across Austin. To address the worst impacts of climate change, we must set our sights on making Austin a more equitable city that is less reliant on fossil fuels and more resilient to a changing climate. The Austin Climate Equity Plan lays out our city’s strategy for local climate action, and it requires the collective efforts of each and every one of us to foster meaningful change.
Watch Austin’s Climate Equity Plan: Be Part of the Bigger Picture — a new video that helps you learn more about the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan and ways that you can get involved.
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Health Leads is looking for five leaders of community-based organizations in the U.S. who deeply understand the problems facing their communities, but haven’t had the time, space or resources to explore opportunities to address these inequities and design potential solutions. The Health Leads team provides essential thought partnership, technical assistance, and resources to guide Makers through the innovation process.
Applications for the 2024 Makers Residency Cohort are now open!
Materials are due Friday, January 5th, 2024. |
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CITY & COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS |
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The Blanton Museum of Art Presents...
Unbreakable: Feminist Visions from the Gilberto Cardenas and Dolores Garcia Collection
On Display Until March 31, 2024
Unbreakable presents artworks with an emphasis on Latina and Chicana artists and their stories of survival and resilience. Selected from the landmark Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores Garcia Collection, which the Blanton recently acquired, these works explore a major theme shaping the couple’s distinctive collecting practice: art with a feminist framework. Created with various techniques since the 1970s, these works of art represent the act of surviving difficult or violent realities, ranging from immigration and poverty to misogyny and genocide. Artists make figures visible in society who have been overlooked or exploited over time, championing matriarchs, community members,
malcriadas [bad-mannered girls], domestic workers, and the rebellious “other.” The artists in
Unbreakable present the ways in which women and gender nonconforming people navigate, surpass, and dismiss societal boundaries, advocating the belief that a feminist future is possible.
Curated by Claudia Zapata, Associate Curator, Latino Art, Blanton Museum of Art.
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GRANTS | TRAINING | SERVICES |
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Dispute Resolution in Special Education
Join the Texas Education Agency and SpedTex (Special Education Information Center) for this free statewide webinar on January 31, 2024, at 12:15 p.m. (CT).
Staff from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will be presenting on strategies and ideas for how to identify and resolve disagreements related to special education at the local level. Additionally, TEA will provide an overview of the dispute resolution options available at the state level.
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Check out this resource list was put together by Travis County, the City of Austin, and various organizations listed on the website to provide residents with information on digital Central Texas resources.
¿Habla español? Aprenda información sobre los recursos digitales del centro de Texas, en español.
Find help with digital resources at
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You are invited to join a FREE and informative Diabetes Education Class at the Black Men's Health Clinic!
This in-person event will be led by qualified Austin Public Health (APH) Equity experts. It is designed to provide you with valuable knowledge and tools to manage diabetes effectively. These expert instructors will cover a range of topics, including understanding diabetes, meal planning, exercise tips, and medication management. Whether you have recently been diagnosed or have been living with diabetes for years, this class is for you!
The initial class will be conducted in English, with plans to introduce Spanish classes in the near future.
The curriculum is designed to cover key aspects, including defining Diabetes, exploring different types of Diabetes, understanding symptoms, and discussing the diagnosis process.
To ensure active participation, attendees are asked to REGISTER.
The Black Men's Health Clinic (BMHC) is genuinely excited about this collaboration with Austin Public Health and we look forward to our continued partnership on various initiatives.
Reserve your spot today!
Date: December 11, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: BMHC - 6633 E Hwy 290 Suite 100, Austin, TX 78723 |
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The City of Austin Announces the 3rd Green Workforce Accelerator
The City of Austin is devoted to increasing equitable access to green jobs in pursuit of its climate, workforce development, and equity goals. In pursuit of these, The Innovation Office, alongside the Office of Sustainability, Economic Development Department, Parks and Recreation Department, and Austin Resource Recovery, will hold the City of Austin’s Green Workforce Accelerator (GWA) - a capacity-building accelerator to help organizations develop or expand green workforce programs. Accelerator participants will receive a $15,000 grant to support their work during the program.
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Distribution Dates for January 2024:
Tuesday, January 9th (2nd Tuesday)
Tuesday, January 23rd (4th Tuesday) |
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The City of Austin Housing Department announces that applications are open for 8 million dollars of rental assistance and eviction prevention support. Administered by El Buen Samaritano, the City’s new I Belong in Austin program will provide financial assistance with rent, moving, and storage/relocation costs for tenants at risk of eviction. Residents are encouraged to review eligibility and apply for rental assistance at www.AustinTexas.gov/RENT.
El Departamento de Vivienda de la Ciudad de Austin anuncia que se han abierto las solicitudes para asistencia para el pago del alquiler y prevención de desalojo por 8 millones de dólares. Administrado por El Buen Samaritano, el nuevo programa “I Belong in Austin” de la ciudad brindará asistencia financiera para costos de alquiler, mudanza y almacenamiento/reubicación para inquilinos en riesgo de desalojo. Alentamos a los residentes a revisar la elegibilidad y solicitar asistencia para el alquiler en www.AustinTexas.gov/RENT.
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Unlocking Digital Opportunities: GTOPs Core Application Now Open! 🚀
📢 Calling all digital inclusion organizations! The Grant for Technology Opportunities Program (GTOPs) Core application is officially live, presenting a golden opportunity to make a significant impact in fostering digital inclusion.
Key Details:
Funding Range: $10,000 - $35,000
Total Funding Pool: $315,000
This year, GTOPs aims to empower organizations dedicated to bridging the digital divide by offering financial support ranging from $10,000 to $35,000. With a substantial total funding of $315,000, we're eager to support initiatives that enhance access to technology, internet connectivity, and digital training for under-served populations.
Application Timeline:
Letters of Interest Due: January 10, 2024
Seize the opportunity to make a difference in your community and advance digital equity.
👉 Learn more about eligibility and start your application journey here.
Let's work together to create a more digitally inclusive future.
If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact us.
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The foundation will invest $5 million over five years in flexible, reliable funding to historically under-resourced community-based mental health organizations.
- Grant Writing Assistance provided November 1, 2023 to January 5, 2024
- Fluxx Registration deadline is January 10th, 2024
Proposals due January 12th, 2024
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The City of Austin's Boards & Commissions Need YOU!
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Williamson County Point-In-Time Count January 2024!
WilCo Homeless Coalition:
homelesswilco@gmail.com
What is the PIT Count?
The Point-In-Time (PIT) aims to provide a snapshot of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in our county, over the course of one night.
Why do we need Volunteers?
Volunteers are needed to survey unhoused neighbors. The data is used to help our community in the fight to end homelessness.
How can I get involved?
Email: homelesswilco@gmail.com
https://tinyurl.com/WHCPIT
DONATIONS NEEDED!
Gift Cards (small $5-$10 gas, fast food, grocery stores, etc.)
Harm Reduction Kits
Individually wrapped snacks
Small Flashlights (with batteries)
Sponsorship Opportunities Available for Businesses!
For donation arrangement, please contact
rogelio.deleon@amerigroup.com
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