Austin PRIDE Festival
The Austin PRIDE Festival and Parade on Saturday, August 11, at Festival Gardens is the largest annual LGBTQ advocacy and fundraising event in Central Texas. Doors to the family-friendly event will open at 11 a.m. […]
Comunidad
Bishops urge Catholics to reach out to immigrants
The Trump administration’s decision to separate, and later to reunite, children from their immigrant parents at the nation’s border was controversial to say the least. Catholics are free to debate politics, but there is no […]
Williamson ending contract with detention center
Decision gives ICE six months to renegotiate contract; advocates stress importance of freeing women at Hutto Immigrant Detention center, including mothers separated from kids, immediately. On June 26, the Williamson County Commissioners Court voted 4-1 […]
Hindu Charities honored by White House recognition
Last April, Hindu Charities for America’s Bollywood Meets Borscht Belt raised $26,000 for school supplies for homeless students in the Austin area during an afternoon of dance, music, food and fun. It was especially touching […]
Existing while black?
It has been a banner year for discrimination. Two recent events on college campuses at Colorado State University and Yale bring issues of hyper-surveillance and white supremacy to the forefront. At Colorado State University, a […]
Public events – Austin-Pune Sister City Initiative
A historic Sister City Initiative has been formed between Austin and Pune, Maharashtra—the first sister city initiative between Austin and a city in India. A Memorandum of Understanding has been exchanged between Austin Mayor Steve […]
Bollywood Meets Borscht Belt 2018
It’s time again for “Bollywood Meets Borscht Belt,” the fun, family-friendly, multicultural event sponsored by Hindu Charities for America, partnering with Shalom Austin for the sixth time, to raise funds for school supplies for homeless […]
Things are just as bad as we feared at a “civil commitment center” in Texas
I hate to say we told you so. In this case, I really, really hate it. An exposé in the Texas Observer in the month of February confirmed everything we feared about the Treatment Industrial Complex (TIC), a term we use […]
How Martin Luther King Jr.’s death changed black people — and challenged America’s ideals
April 4 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. From Lincoln to King, assassinations of political figures have been part of our country’s history. The assassinations of civil rights activists […]
Austin’s 1928 Master Plan unleashed forces which still shape Austin today
March 22, 2018 is the 90th anniversary of Austin’s 1928 Master Plan. Austin City government adopted the 1928 Master Plan and created a “negro district” in what is now Austin’s City Council District 1. The […]
Local organizations ask Travis County to put the brakes on proposed women’s jail
In a letter sent to top county officials Friday, nine community groups called for a halt to plans for a new women’s jail in Travis County, saying their recommendations to reduce incarceration should come before […]
Animal Services Office achieves new lifesaving record of 97.9%
The Austin Animal Services Office has achieved a new record of 97.9% of lives saved for 2017, improving upon last year’s record-breaking number of 96.4%. Other notable accomplishments for the year include facilitating 8,093 adoptions, […]
What Texans should watch out for in 2018
The election campaigns of 2016 propelled many immigration topics to the forefront of current events. Setting limits on immigration, restricting access from specific countries, and searching out undocumented residents for deportation became key subjects. A […]
The Justice System Can’t Stop Domestic Violence or Mass Shootings
A few years ago, one of our studies found that 57 percent of adult Texans reported knowing a friend, family member or co-worker in an abusive relationship. One in three adult Texans experienced family violence […]
Latino Representation Still an Issue at City Hall
The Austin City Council has selected six finalists for the position of City Manager after a year-long secret search process. None of the six candidates included is of Latino ancestry. This is despite Austin’s Latino […]