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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

1965
National desegregation facts The Civil Rights Act of 1965 “forbids racial, religious, and gender discrimination in public accommodations; allows withholding of federal grants and contracts from violators; forbids discrimination by employers; and empowers the Justice Department to sue violators.” [http://www.humboldt.edu/ ~go1/hist111/civilrights.html]
University of Texas at Austin (UT) facts The 40 Acres Club at The University of Texas admits Black members for the first time. [Marsh Durden, Almetris. Overcoming: A History of Black Integration at The University of Texas at Austin. 1979; A 378.76431 DU]
Local desegregation facts A white boy and an African American girl “apply” for a marriage license against Texas law that prohibits interracial marriage. [AF-Segregation-Public Schools-S1700 (2)-1960s; The Austin Statesman, “White Boy, Negro Girl ‘Apply’ For Marriage License,” October 07, 1965]
University of Texas at Austin (UT) facts Follow this link to Austin History Center photograph The Cowboy Minstrel Show votes out blackface in its annual performances. [Marsh Durden, Almetris. Overcoming: A History of Black Integration at The University of Texas at Austin. 1979; A 378.76431 DU]