Brenda Malik

Brenda Malik is a former president of the Rogers Washington Holy Cross Neighborhood Association. She attended the historic LC Anderson High School from 1966-1969 and is an administrative specialist at the cultural Arts Division/City of Austin.

Interview Highlights

Tight knit community

“It’s a homegrown community, so I’ve always been involved. Our mothers started the association as soon as we got here. So this community was really built with a lot of black professionals at the time. Teachers, nurses, elected officials. And so those women were the driving force. Or creating the Neighborhood Association, and they go from house to house, with the monthly meetings.

So it was a party every month, and the neighbors would get together, and the children would watch and see what they were doing. I was one of those that grew up in the association, and I became more active when I became an adult. Oh, these women were civic minded, and they were always doing something with their children.

For instance, they would take us down to the skating rink and protest the segregation of the skating rink that they couldn’t take their children in. Went to Zilker Pool and protested there too, or they picked us up and took us to the movies. It was always a communal kind of thing.”

Civil Rights in Austin

“We had quite a few leaders over here in this neighborhood come from this neighborhood, including Mr. Snell, who was the first black Travis County Commissioner. We also had the first black mayor of Dallas come from this neighborhood.

Ms. Kirk’s son, Ronald Kirk, was the first black mayor of Dallas, Texas, and went on to become appointed as an ambassador in Obama’s presidency. And they became good friends as well. So, it was a bunch of leaders, because we had the professionals come from this area. And like today, it’s hard for black and brown people to get to these meetings and put that pressure on our elected officials because we’re working.

So it was a little bit easier for professional folks in this area to take up that mantle and fight for civil rights. But this whole community has been active in civil rights here in Austin. King Tears, mortuary, is part of the legacy of this neighborhood. And Dr. King lives also on the street over.

Dr. King was the past president of Houston Tillerson College, he was co-founder of King Tears mortuary. But yes, he’s a descendant of one of our presidents. Most definitely L. C. Anderson High. It was an iconic building. It was the only high school that Blacks were allowed to go to before integration.”

Full Transcript

Celeste González de Bustamante – Ambos Nogales (Both Nogales)

Associate Dean for DEI, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin

Dr. González de Bustamante selected Ambos Nogales (Both Nogales)—the twin cities of Nogales, Arizona, in the United States and Nogales, Sonora, in Mexico, separated by the U.S.-Mexico border—as her place of significance. Stemming from her distinguished background in journalism and her experience in news media, Dr. González de Bustamante’s choice is deeply anchored in her rigorous exploration of media dynamics in the U.S.-Mexico border regions. She dedicates her life’s work to educate people that places like Ambos Nogales are so much more than what we read or see in mainstream news.

 

 

 

April Inniss – Martha’s Vineyard

Senior Research Associate – James Bell Associates

April selected Martha’s Vineyard as her place of significance because it offered her tranquility, cherished memories of relaxation, and a sense of freedom from life’s obligations and responsibilities. Moreover, she envisions this location as an alternate universe where systemic oppression never occurred in American society, and where people live in happiness and prosperity.

 

Maria Cazares – Wasco, California

Youth Organizer – Dolores Huerta Foundation

Maria’s place of significance is Wasco, California, where she grew up witnessing and overcoming inequalities in communities of color. She is a first-generation Mexican-American with a Sociology degree from Fresno State, now working as a youth organizer with the Dolores Huerta Liberated Youth for Empowerment Program. Through her activism, she continues to make a difference in her communities, committed to dismantling systemic barriers.

 

 

 

 

Jose Enriquez – John Glenn High School

CEO/Founder – Latinos in Action

Jose’s place of significance is John Glenn High School, where he learned to fail and succeed, developing humility and resilience. He overcame his fear of public speaking, gained confidence, and understood the essence of leadership. Through hard training, he honed essential skills, from studying to networking, ultimately boosting his self-assurance.

 

 

 

 

Corrina Brown – Avenues at Steele Creek

Development Manager – The Beautiful Project

Corrina’s choice of her first apartment as her place of significance symbolized her initial taste of independence, devoid of external influences. As time passed, she delved deeper into self-discovery. Within the confines of this space, she mastered the art of cultivating her own community. This period of living alone for the first time enabled her to authentically identify her genuine interests, desires, and needs.

 

Anthony Barrows – Maverick Square Public Housing

Managing Partner & Founder, Center for Behavioral Design & Social Justice

Anthony’s place of significance is the Maverick Square public housing complex in East Boston, MA where he grew up. The area has since been completely redeveloped.

 

 

Ronnette Smith – Clark Atlanta University

CEO – Future Foundation

Ronnette is a proud graduate of the HBCU Clark Atlanta University, where she earned a B.A. in Mass Communication/Media Studies. Her alma mater, selected as her meaningful institution, bore witness to Mrs. Smith’s triumphant graduation from a four-year university, even in the face of academic challenges during her high school years.

 

Dollhouse Barbershop

Roosevelt “Bubba” Stewart cut hair at the Dollhouse Barber Shop on Rosewood Avenue in East Austin. Bubba ran the Dollhouse Barbershop for more than forty years until rising rents and dwindling customers forced him to close.
Roosevelt “Bubba” Stewart (1933-2018), East Austin native and lifelong owner of Stewart’s Doll House Barber Shop at 1811 Rosewood Ave
The Austin City Council proclaimed October 19, 2017 as Roosevelt “Bubba” Stewart Day in honor of Stewart’s 60+ year service as one of East Austin’s most prestigious and longest-serving barbers.

Hillside Drugstore

Headed by Ulysses Young, known cordially as Doc Young, the Hillside Drugstore began providing various medicines and remedies to East Austin residents in 1949.  Young relocated his home just behind the phramacy with the intention of continuing his work with the city’s few Black pharamcists. It now stands as a restaurant under the same name, with many of the smae fixtures, hoping to keep the original pharmacy’s legacy alive.

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