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Desegregation in Austin

Five Decades of Social Change: A Timeline

This web project presents an annotated chronology of major events in the desegregation of Austin, Texas, from 1940 to 1980 as they appeared in local newspapers and other materials such as the Austin Files (AF) in the archives at the Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. The timeline is intended as a guide to key events necessary for an understanding of this extraordinary time in the city’s history.

 

 

Key
Local African American firsts Local African American firsts
University of Texas at Austin (UT) facts University of Texas at Austin (UT) facts
Local desegregation facts Local desegregation facts
Statewide desegregation facts Statewide desegregation facts
National desegregation facts National desegregation facts

Note: The Austin American-Statesman newspaper had several name changes over the five decades covered in this timeline. The variations reflect usage for that time—Austin Statesman, The Austin Statesman, The Austin-Statesman, The Austin American, The Austin American-Statesman, American Statesman, The American-Statesman, Austin American-Statesman.

overview | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | all

1959
Local African American firsts Louis Major Barrow, employee of American National Bank, becomes first African American in Austin to man a teller window. [AF-Segregation-Public Schools-S1700 (2)-1950s; Austin American-Statesman, “Rough Road is Traveled,” April 29, 1984]
Local African American firsts The Delta Xi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is the first black Greek Letter Organization established at The University of Texas at Austin, May 16. [AF-Alpha Kappa Alpha-A1300 (27)]