Posted originally by Ellington Tough on: https://austinfreepress.org/bylines-and-belonging/
A community came together to create new hope at an inconspicuous East Austin studio on Nov. 13. The Bylines and Belonging event gathered Black professionals to uplift one another.
Community consultant and event organizer Nicholas Hawkins of Hawkins Holdings invited speakers to explain how they struck “at the root cause of some of the biggest things that plague our society today.” He sought to celebrate those who help other members of their community through independent entrepreneurship.
The Texas Tribune Festival promoted the meet up as an “additional Festival Opportunity.”
“We’re not going to wait for them to give us a platform,” Hawkins said. “We’re going to create our own.”
Yasmine Smith was the first to take the stage in a series of “Rapid Sparks” speeches, in which speakers introduced themselves and their organizations. Smith is the vice president of justice and advocacy at the Austin Area Urban League, a social services organization that advances civil rights by providing local African Americans with tools to help them succeed.
We are creating solidarity networks across the state,” Smith said. “And what that means is: Who are our builders, who are our healers, who are our philosophers, who are our communicators, and how can we work together, no matter what happens, when it inevitably gets worse?”
Smith said that Black Austinites must foster their own opportunities rather than waiting for the establishment to provide them.
A co-host of The Grapevine public policy show on KAZI 88.7 FM, Smith said that, “KAZI is the first and only Black radio station in Austin.” At KAZI, “It’s our voices, it’s our stories, it’s our music,” she said, developing the event’s theme of how Blacks must control their own destinies.
Austin Free Press Executive Director Alberta Phillips was another speaker. After retiring from a 40-year career with publications like the Austin American-Statesman, Phillips said she returned to her vocation — this time, as an educator. Phillips leads Austin Free Press’ Huston-Tillotson University partnership to train young journalists of color. Several of those students attended the event.
“I realized that as a Black professional, I needed to come back and suit up and train up the next generation,” Phillips said. Her goal is to provide ‘gap-coverage’ on topics not being covered by mainstream media. “This is about telling our stories, because no one can tell our stories like we can.”
The Bylines and Belonging event came in the wake of a keynote address by Maryland Governor Wes Moore, which opened the Texas Tribune Festival. Hawkins expressed a wish to coordinate a similar event directly with the festival next year.
Ellington Tough is a junior at Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA), where he serves as the news editor for the LASA Liberator. He is professionally certified in Adobe production and has won multiple awards for his work.