Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community History topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Travis County’s Black History program highlights global belonging, local history and community supports
Summary
Travis County’s Black History Program brought county leaders, staff and community speakers together for speeches, music and awards. Keynote Sabrina Phillips connected global colonial histories to local belonging; Commissioner Trevillion and Judge Andy Brown emphasized community responsibility and preserving Black history. The program concluded with a chili cook-off fundraiser and lunch.
Travis County hosted its annual Black History Program with speeches, music and community awards that framed Black history as both a global story of displacement and a local responsibility to support neighbors.
Sabrina Phillips, founder of Equity Through Art and a professor of art history at Austin Community College, delivered the keynote, telling a multi‑generational story that connected her ancestry in Mauritius and Britain to her life in Austin. “I belong to this story and I belong to black history,” Phillips said, describing how colonial plantation labor and indenture shaped families and place. She referenced Le Morne mountain in Mauritius — now a UNESCO World Heritage site — as a symbol of both refuge and loss in that island’s history.
Travis County Commissioner Trevillion urged continued collective action to support vulnerable residents, recalling local Black neighborhoods taken during the 20th century and arguing that the county must build institutions that look after each other. He told attendees the community passed a tax‑rate election to fund child care, after‑school programs and job training, saying the measure provides “$75,000,000 a year” for those services. “We have the capacity to look after each other,” Trevillion said, framing local programs as the response to gaps in state or federal policy.
Judge Andy Brown, attending with county commissioners, said the county would continue to honor Black history amid broader debates about curriculum and memory. “Travis County stands strong,” Brown said, adding he would stand with county leaders to “make sure that we keep honoring black history this month and every month.”
The program included musical performances (Jonathan Tate, minister of music at Mount Olive Baptist Church, led prelude and hymn selections) and brief reflections from other speakers and volunteers. Organizers announced results of a chili cook‑off fundraiser that involved multiple county departments and named Gabe Stack as a winner in the competition; Janine Smith was recognized for best presentation.
Organizers closed by thanking volunteers and reminding attendees about displays, flyers and lunch on the building’s 3rd floor. The event served as a mix of personal testimony, historical reflection and internal county celebration; no formal policy votes or actions were taken during the program.
