Racial Justice – There are SO MANY WAYS to Join the Fight!
As we approach the presidential election, it’s more important now than ever that we continue the fight for racial justice and to end systemic racism. This means we have to learn, unlearn, act, support, donate, protest, listen. Whether you show up online or in person, you are doing the work necessary to make the change we so desperately need in this country and around the world.
Below is a list of local in person and online events taking place between Friday, October 9 – Wednesday, October 14. If we have missed something, please email us at randi@artprofiler.com so we can add it to this list. You can find additional resources on our website as well.
ArtProfiler Resources
Black Lives Matter: A Resource Guide
Black-Owned Businesses in Austin
Black Artists in Austin
How the Protests Have Changed the World…So Far
Anti-Racism Education: A Resource Guide
The US Prison System – How the 13th Amendment Failed to End Slavery
Blackface – Is it Really Racist?
The Minstrel Show: Evolution of American Entertainment
The Gray Zone, Part 1 – I’m Not a White Girl
The Gray Zone, Part 2 – My Creole Heritage
The Gray Zone, Part 3 – They Called Them Freejacks
The Gray Zone, Part 4 – The HUMAN Race: A Way Forward
In Person Events
The Justice4CrystalMason Rally
Saturday, October 10 at 7:00AM – 7:30PM CST
Texas Capitol – 1100 Congress Ave & Governor’s Mansion – 1010 Colorado St| Austin, TX 78701
To ride the bus from Forest Hill, TX, for this event register here.
This event is hosted by Collective Activism in solidarity with Crystal Mason – please join them in protest at the governor’s mansion to demand a pardon for Mason, whose court case is detailed below.
On Thursday, a Texas appeals court upheld a five-year prison sentence for Crystal Mason who was convicted of illegally voting even though she didn’t know she was ineligible when she went to the polls in 2016. (She was on supervised release from prison, similar to probation, and didn’t know that Texas prohibits felons from voting until their sentences have been fully completed.) The severe punishment has stirred national outrage, prompting accusations that prosecutors were attempting voter intimidation in Texas. Her probation officials even testified during the 2018 trial that they never told Mason she could not vote, but the court said that didn’t matter. Mason’s mistaken vote wasn’t even counted because she wasn’t an eligible voter.
Javier Ambler Memorial Mural Reveal
Saturday, October 10 at 9:00-10:30AM (CST)
Home Slice Pizza (More Home Slice) – 1421 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704
On March 28, 2019, Javier Ambler II died while being arrested by police in Austin, Texas, after fleeing from deputies who sought to stop him for a traffic violation. Ambler was tased multiple times by authorities.
This event is a gathering of friends, family, and neighbors to unveil the Javier Ambler Memorial Mural, painted by local portrait artist Devon Clarkson. In remembrance and celebration of Javier Ambler’s life, supporters will gather in the parking lot of Home Slice. There will be morning refreshments provided, a few speakers will share, and then Home Slice will be providing their legendary pizza on the patio.
Online Events
Creatives Of Color To The Front: A Digital Conversation
Friday, October 9 at 6:00-8:00PM CST
Online event
Register for Zoom session here
Hosted by BossBabes ATX, join craftHER Market and friends for a digital dialogue about the spaces that uplift artists of color and different strategies to combat inequity within creative communities. Discussion will be about
• building communities that value support and collaboration
• the ways we can collectively challenge inequity
• the contributions of artists of color in Austin, Texas
Virtual City Council Candidate Forum: Institutional Racism in Austin
Monday, October 12 at 5:00-8:00PM CST
Online event
Register here
Institutional and systemic racism have been in the national spotlight lately, but what is your local government doing here in Austin? How do your local candidates feel about issues that are important to you, and how will local politicians represent your interests if you elect them?
To find out more, join this Candidate Forum co-sponsored by Communities of Color United (CCU), Grassroots Leadership, & Undoing White Supremacy Austin.
(Austin City Council has 10 seats—half of those seats are up for grabs this election! City Council can make big changes that affect you and your community on a day-to-day basis, including decisions about city budget and policy.)
Discussion with candidates for Districts 4 & 10: 5pm
Discussion with candidates for Districts 2, 6, & 7: 6:30pm
Find your city council district here.
Webinar: How To Talk About Racism in Education
Wednesday, October 14 at 5:00-6:30PM
Online event
Register here
This webinar is part of the LBJ Library’s Dismantling Systemic Racism in Education Webinar Series that tackles systemic racism in education and empowers stakeholders with information and tools to affect change in their schools and communities. This session features thought leader, scholar and author, Glenn Singleton, who has a powerful, straightforward message: In order to dismantle systemic racism, we must first learn to talk about race. In this moving 90-minute exploration, Glenn will share tenets of Courageous Conversation™, his award-winning approach to race, racialized schooling and institutionalized racism. Over the course of a career spanning 30 years, Glenn has utilized this internationally-embraced curriculum to develop leaders who effectively confront racism and transform organizations through the “lens” of racial equity.