“Mexican American” households were concentrated in a neighborhood in the southwest of downtown. While some “Mexican American” households remained downtown through the 1940s, most “Mexican American” families arriving in Austin moved into the Hispanic/Latino neighborhood east of downtown – just south of the Black neighborhood—between current day East 10th Street and Cesar Chavez Street, and … Continued
While the influx of Hispanics into Texas and Austin during the second half of the 20th century led to a much greater dispersal of their population throughout the area, the effects of those segregationist policies are still visible today. The vast majority of Austin’s African-American and Hispanic populations remain east of I-35. But Austin’s divisions … Continued
The federal government launched a New Deal program that would reinforce segregationist boundaries in Austin and throughout the country. The program was designed to restore household wealth during the Great Depression, but it excluded most minority communities through redlining — the practice of denying or charging more for goods and services in certain neighborhoods, usually … Continued
City planners worked to “preserve” Austin’s image by drawing African Americans away from the city center and university areas. Blockbusting became pervasive until the Federal Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 and made discrimination of underrepresented groups illegal (Blockbusting is the manipulation of a homeowner to sell or rent their home at a lower … Continued
Mexican American residents were pushed to move from “Old Mexico” in order to make room for City and related office buildings. Many of them were placed in the neighborhood bounded by East Ave.,/IH 35 on the west, the river on the south, Airport on the east, and 7th Street on the north.
The legalized segregation of negroes by the 1928 Master Plan evolved into the effective and real segregation of blacks and Hispanics in East Austin. Both forms of segregation kept Austin’s minority populations “out of sight and out of mind.” The master plan publicly acknowledged that it would save the city money.
Austin City government adopted the 1928 Master Plan and created a “negro district” in what is now Austin’s City Council District 1. The plan formally segregated the city by creating a Negro district where all Black people are expected to live. Two aspects of the plan as it relates to Blacks are of specific note. First, the plan strategically sought to … Continued
By the 1920s the Anglo political leadership of Austin sought legal methods to deal with what they characterized as the “Negro Problem.” As it was then articulated, it was a problem for Austin to provide equal protection under the law, schools, city services, parks, utilities and such for African Americans. And, if the City were … Continued
An elaborate system of legal codes kept Black Texans apart from the mainstream of Texas life.
Knights of Labor Chinese Boycott: Labor union called for boycott of businesses owned by Chinese immigrants December 4, 1885, The Austin Daily Statesman reported.