Downtown Black History Walk in Austin

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The Texas African American History Memorial is located on the Texas State Capitol Grounds. Here we will contextualize Texas’ African history from Spanish colonial times through the present. We will set the stage for “King Cotton” and Austin’s prominence as a cotton production and manufacturing hub. The Texas Capitol building was completed in 1888. At its completion it was one of the tallest buildings in the world. However, what is often omitted from this building’s history is the large number of incarcerated Black men and women that were forced through “convict-leasing” to mine for the materials and construct the edifice.

   30 min

2. Discuss the history of slavery in Austin and Travis County at the mansion, including the construction of the building. Here we bring humanity to those who were enslaved in Travis County. We highlight some important folks in Austin's history.

   15 min

3. This park/square dates back to the Waller Plan of 1839, which plotted the city. Wooldridge Square was one of the original four squares in the city. Over time, this square saw the construction of many of Austin’s first Black churches, schools and social institutions. Booker T. Washington gave a monumental speech here in 1911. Here we will discuss the origins of Austin’s Black community post-enslavement and the role African-Americans played in the development of the state and city.

   15 min

4. Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Court - This courthouse which is adjacent to Wooldridge Square provides a great window into Austin’s role in maintaining Jim Crow racial segregation in the U.S. In 1946, during Sweatt v. Painter, the State of Texas upheld racial segregationist policies, which barred African-Americans admission to The University of Texas at Austin. Thurgood Marshall argued this case in Austin. Here we will discuss the role African-Americans have played in the Civil Rights Movement at the local, state and national levels.

   15 min

5. Walk down Congress Ave and discuss the impact of desegregation in Austin and visit the Paramount Theatre, which was a pivotal in the desegregation movement. Here we will discuss the different demonstrations such as the Swim-ins at Barton Springs, and protests on Austin's public transportation system in the 20th Century.

   15 min

6. The tour will end on Austin’s most famous street, Sixth Street. Before 6th Street was the anchor of the “Live Music Capitol of the World '' it was the hub of African American commerce. Here we will discuss what business was like for Black business people and patrons. Here we will also discuss the creation of the Negro Disctrict in 1928, which displaced Black residents from coveted downtown spaces. Blacks were displaced to east Austin.

   30 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 4 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Austin

• Its from-price is 27% below the median of the 274 experiences we list in Austin.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 128 of 274.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Austin

Austin is the capital of Texas on the Colorado River, a hill-country city known for live music, a spring-fed pool, bats at dusk and Texas barbecue.

Austin lies on the Colorado River where the Texas Hill Country begins, with the long Lady Bird Lake running through the centre. The State Capitol, built of pink granite in 1888, is taller than the national Capitol in Washington, and Congress Avenue runs from it down to the river. Austin calls itself the Live Music Capital of the World, and Sixth Street and many small venues keep up the claim.

Top-ranked sights in Austin: 6th Street , Congress Avenue Bridge (South Congress Bridge), Texas Capitol.

See all 274 experiences in Austin