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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

1967
Local desegregation facts All [Old] Anderson High School area students are given the choice of attending any high school in district. [AF-Segregation-Public Schools-S1700 (2)-1977; The Austin American-Statesman (Evening Edition), “Desegregation Chronology,” November 22, 1977]
Local desegregation facts Austin City Council passes the Fair Housing Ordinance, outlawing discrimination on the basis of race, color, or religion in selling, renting, and financing housing. [Marsh Durden, Almetris. Overcoming: A History of Black Integration at the University of Texas at Austin. 1979; A 378.76431 DU]
Local African American firsts Douglas Washington becomes the first African American to pledge a white fraternity at The University of Texas. [AF-Segregation-Public Schools-S1700 (1)-University of Texas; The Austin-American, “Fraternity Has Negro As Pledge,” October 11, 1968]
Local desegregation facts A U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare survey team declares Austin ISD in noncompliance with the Civil Rights Act. [AF-Segregation-Public Schools-1700 (2)-1970s; The Austin American-Statesman (Evening Edition), “Desegregation Chronology,” November 22, 1977]