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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

1977

Local desegregation facts The Austin Chapter of the NAACP calls for the removal of a Burnet Junior High School assistant principal they label as “rude, insensitive and sarcastic to students and parents.” [AF-Segregation-Public Schools-S1700 (2)-1977; The Austin Citizen, “Ouster of School Official Sought,” April 18, 1977]
Local desegregation facts On November 21, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules for the third time that the Austin district intentionally segregates its Chicano students, and sends the case once again to federal district court for rehearing. The Austin desegregation case is now seven years old. [AF-Segregation-Public Schools-S1700 (2)-1977; The Austin American-Statesman (Evening Edition), “Desegregation Chronology,” November 22, 1977]
Local desegregation facts A retrial is held in federal district court, and the judge finds that there is no unlawful segregation against Mexican American students. He orders the creation of sixth-grade learning centers to desegregate that grade and orders AISD to request approval of construction of new schools by intervenors (NAACP and Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund). Intervenors and the government file appeal briefs with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. [AF-Segregation-Public Schools-S1700 (2)-1977; The Austin American-Statesman (Evening Edition), “Desegregation Chronology,” November 22, 1977]