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Black History Month

African American people in this country have moved forward since the Civil War under very difficult circumstances. Immediately after the war they were subjected to the 13th amendment, just the first of a series of measures intended to ensure their continued subjugation.

Now there’s a nationwide wave of over 440 laws with elements of voter suppression, just a part of Republican attempts to stop African Americans and the rest of us from voting. 

We must join together over the coming months to defeat this effort to undermine our democracy and steal the coming elections.  If you want to help, call your favorite candidate or the Democratic Party for advice on what you can do.

In Memory of Akawsi Evans

This eNews issue is dedicated to our wonderful friend, the late Akwasi Evans, the founder and editor of NOKOA, an Austin progressive African-American weekly. What a warm smile Akwasi had!

Black History is American History

Celebrating Texas Pioneers

African American women like Juanita Craft, Bessie Coleman, and of course, Barbara Jordan, made history, in every sense of the word. Men like Mickey Leland, Doris Miller, J. Mason Brewer, and Rube Foster, defied the institutions that sought to hinder their progress and embodied what it means to be a trailblazer.

Celebrating Texas Writers

From the Austin Public Library: historical novels, mysteries, romance, kids' books and more - something to appeal to everyone from Texas' African American writers.

Celebrating American Musicians 

Playing For Change has covered many classic songs written or performed by some of the leading African American artists throughout the generations, here are a few.

Racism in Historical & Modern America

“Exterminate All the Brutes”: Filmmaker Raoul Peck Explores Colonialism & Origins of White Supremacy.  A new four-part documentary series, “Exterminate All the Brutes,” delves deeply into the legacy of European colonialism from the Americas to Africa. It has been described as an unflinching narrative of genocide and exploitation, beginning with the colonizing of Indigenous land that is now called the United States.

13TH: Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America. Beginning with slavery and later Jim Crow, to more subtle strategies like the War on Drugs and mass incarceration, America's institutionalized racism has been present consistently, even if its tactics have changed.

Climate Change and

Environmental Justice

• Shallow dive: Environmental & Climate Justice (NAACP)
• Medium dive: Our Environmental Justice Stories (EarthJustice.org)
• Deep dive: Environmental Justice, a scholarly journal with free and paid articles

Just One More Song!

Ain’t Nobody Gonna Turn Me Around by multiple Grammy Award winner Sweet Honey in the Rock. This incorporates pictures of Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Birmingham Children, and the 1968 Olympic Protest.