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Vol. 46 No. 32 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: vil3202@aol.com December 14, 2018

First African American Fire ChiefSworn in for City of Austin

By Adrienne Rison-Isom | Special to the VILLAGER

Austin Fire Department Chief Joel Baker. (Photo/KVUE)

(AUSTIN, TX) – Monday December 10th theAustin Fire Department swore in Mr. Joel Baker asits first African American Fire Chief. The historic cer-emony and reception occurred at Austin’s City HallBuilding, located in the downtown Austin area.

Joel Baker hails from the Atlanta, Georgia area,specifically East Point, GA Fire Department.

Baker began his career in this profession in1986.Two years later, he joined the Atlanta Fire Res-cue Department where he was promoted to serveas Lieutenant in the Field Operations Division andthe Fire Training Academy. Baker also served as Cap-tain of the department’s Hazardous Material / Tech-nical Rescue Unit, Deputy Fire Chief for Airport Op-erations, Assistant Chief to the Office of SupportServices, and finally, as fire chief.

Joel Baker is a U.S. Veteran. He served as a Ma-rine, as well as served 10 years in the Navy Reserve.

Academically he earned an Associate Degreein Applied Fire Science, a Bachelor of Science in Hu-man Resources Development and a Master of Pub-

lic Administration.Baker was chosen by Austin City Manager

Spencer Cronk out of more than 80 contendersthroughout the U.S., who applied for the position.Baker stated, “You won’t have to look for me. I willbe very present”.

A host of City and Government Officials werepresent, as well as handsomely dressed in blue FireFighters from Austin and beyond.

Mr. Marvin Douglas, who is one out of the firstfour African Americans hired by Austin was chosento honorably pin the badge of gold on the new Chief.He was accompanied by Mr. Albert Walker, anotherformer Austin Fire Fighter.

Baker, will take over Chief Tom Dodds’ po-sition. Dodd warmly welcomed Chief Baker.Tom Dodd also presented his own wife a sur-prise bouquet of flowers. He stated, that hiswife supported him faithfully throughout hiscareer. Briefly afterwards, Dodd also welcomedMrs. Baker and daughter.

“BACK ROADS” NOW PLAYING ATGALAXY THEATER HIGHLAND

By Naomi Richard | VILLAGER Entertainment(VILLAGER NEWS) - Based on the Oprah’s Book

Club selection and New York Times bestselling novelby Tawni O’Dell, BACK ROADS explores the impactof family trauma with a powerful and visceral noirthriller that leaves audiences breathless until thelast moment. The film is directed by and stars AlexPettyfer (ELVIS & NIXON, THE STRANGE ONES), aswell as Jennifer Morrison (TV’s Once Upon a Time),Nicola Peltz (TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINC-TION), Chiara Aurelia (GERALD’S GAME), Hala Finley(TV’s Man With a Plan), June Carryl (SWEET NOVEM-BER), with Robert Patrick (TV’s Scorpion), and Os-car nominated Juliette Lewis (AUGUST: OSAGECOUNTY).

The film is released via Samuel Goldwyn Filmsin theaters and now showing at the Galaxy High-land in Austin.

After his mother, (Juliette Lewis), is imprisonedfor killing his abusive father, Harley Altmyer (AlexPettyfer) is left to care for his three younger sistersin rural Pennsylvania. Harley forgoes his collegeeducation, working dead-end jobs to pay the bills

See INCEST AND INSTABILITY, page 3

Omarosatakes swipe

at firedJohn Kelly

By Defender NewsService

(DEFENDER NEWS)- There’s an old saying:what goes aroundcomes around. That’show Omarosa ManigaultNewman responded tonews that the WhiteHouse chief of staff JohnKelly, who fired Omarosalast year, was oustedfrom his job.

The former realityTV star called Kelly’s dis-missal “karma.”

President DonaldTrump announced Satur-day that Kelly will leavehis job by the end of thisyear. Kelly was increas-ingly isolated in theWhite House and lostfavor with the president,according to the Associ-ated Press.

“John Kelly will beleaving — I don’t knowif I can say retiring — buthe’s a great guy. JohnKelly will be leaving atthe end of the year. We’llbe announcing who willbe taking John’s place —it might be on an interimbasis. I’ll be announcingthat over the next day ortwo, but John will beleaving at the end of theyear. … I appreciate hisservice very much,” theSee ISSUES, page 2

Black Austin Demshonor community

leaders.See CHRISTMAS

Page 6

The intellectualheartbeat of East

Austin opens new CEI.See HUSTON

Page 2

Matriarch againstvoter suppressionpasses at age 97.

See EATONPage 5

Voters Havefinished the

job! The new Austin CityCouncil is not complete.The December 11 runoffelection decided the final3 seats on the 11 membercouncil. Up for grabswas District 1, 3 and 8.Austin’s African Ameri-can community put a lotof effort in to place 1.This is the seat that isheld by the lone AfricanAmerican on the council. When the councilchanged from an At-large system of electingthe council to the currentdistrict system, it couldbe the last time forDistrict 1 to berepresented by anAfrican American. Therewas more concern whenthe community waschanged to an area thatwas no longer occupiedby a majority of AfricanAmericans. The final results of therunoff election showedthe Natasha Harper-Madison defeatedMariana Salazar with72% if the vote. She willreplace Ora Houston inDistrict 1.Io Renteria defeated hissister Susana Almanza torepresent District 3.And Paige Ellis defeatedFrank Ward for theDistrict 8 seat. Austin also elected anew School BoardTrustee. Arati Singhdefeated Carmen Tiltonfor the At-Large position9 on the board. All ofthese newly electedofficials will need thesupport of the entirecommunity in their newrolls. It is also a good timeto start to pay attentionof all of the Places andDistricts where we electpeople to serve. And itis time for us to acceptthe new political situ-ation. Everyone iseligible to run for officein the area where theylive. There are no moreG e n t l e m a n ’ sAgreements. “ Every tubmust sit on its ownbottom.” We all have aright to represent ourcommunity.

Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 14, 2018 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com

Huston-Tillotson Center for Entrepreneurshipand Innovation Grand Opening Day

RIBBON CUTTING (L-R): HT director forEntrepreneurship and Innovation HectorGomez Macfarland, City of AUSTIN interimdeputy director for economic developmentSylvia Holt-Rabb, HT board of trusteemember Carol L. McDonald, HT presidentand CEO Colette Pierce-Burnette, HT dean ofbusiness and technology Steven Edmund.(Photo/John Harris)

By John Harris Jr. | VILLAGER Contributor

(AUSTIN, TX) - Describing Huston-Tillotson asthe “intellectual heartbeat of East Austin,” presidentand CEO Colette Pierce-Burnette announced lastweek that the school’s new Center for Entrepreneur-ship and Innovation (CEI) will offer students theopportunity to earn a graduate degree in BusinessAdministration. Located approximately 2 1/2 milesfrom HT’s home campus at the Center for Social In-novation on Springdale Road, the CEI will play animportant role in connecting the HBCU institutionwith the surrounding community.

“We’re here to service the community,”Burnette told the audience at the Dec. 6 event. “Aus-tin wants Huston-Tillotson to be a success. This is apart of our transformation and our growth. We’veshown grit and determination for 143 years. It’s timefor us to be innovative. This is an example of that.”

Burnette thanked Steven Edmund, dean of HT’sschool of Business and Technology, for carrying outher vision and making CEI a reality. Edmund, in turn,introduced program director Hector GomezMacfarland, a faculty member in the school of Busi-ness and Technology.

Macfarland said CEI will work with buddingdevelop entrepreneurs such as current HT studentSean Gooden, who is developing a line of cookiesand was in attendance, as well as developing

intrapreneurs.“Not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur,”

Macfarland said. “We will prepare people to bringnew ideas to reality.”

Mayor Steve Adler proclaimed Dec. 6 as“Huston-Tillotson Center for Entrepreneurship andInnovation Grand Opening Day.”

“This is a historic day. This is our first formaloffsite partnership with Huston-Tillotson throughour small business division,” said City of Austin Eco-nomic Development Interim Deputy Director SylviaHolt-Rabb. “Hopefully, it’s the continuation of alliancesthat we have already established in East Austin. Austin’scolleges and universities are a part of our integral fab-ric and it’s important that we form strategic partner-ships that serve the public’s emerging needs. The Cen-ter for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has been es-tablished to serve not only entrepreneurship studentsbut also the community at large who need help start-ing and growing a business.”

Holt-Rabb said CEI dovetails the city’s Strate-gic Direction 2023 plan, which includes students aswell as citizens and focuses on developing businessplans, strengthening women and minority-ownedbusinesses and building pathways for those who aredifficult to employ. “The city looks forward to work-ing hand-in-hand with the center as we developprograms and deliver them for the 21st century en-trepreneur,” Holt-Rabb said.

president stated.In December 2017, Kelly fired Omarosa who

worked at the White House as an aide to Trump.Omarosa provided NBC Newswith an audio recordingin August of Kelly firing her in the Situation Room.

“It’s come to my attention over the last fewmonths that there’s been some pretty, in my opin-ion, significant integrity issues,” Kelly told Omarosa.

She took it as a threat when Kelly suggestedthat a smooth exit from the White House would helpher reputation.

“I think it’s important to understand that if wecan make this a friendly departure we can all be,

Omarosa was fired by Kelly over supposedly “significant integrity issues” continued from page 1

you know, you can look at your time here in theWhite House as a year of service to the nation, andthen you can go on without any type of difficulty inthe future relative to your reputation,” Kelly saidon the tape.

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps four-star generalcame to the White House in June 2017 after serv-ing briefly as Trump’s homeland security secretary.He was expected to be the adult in the room andbring order to the chaotic White House.

His no-nonsense approach to managing theWhite House and who had access to the presidentalienated some Trump allies, causing him to become

isolated to have a diminished role, according to theAssociated Press. At the same time, he openly talkedabout the tribulations of working for the president,which angered Trump.

During this time at the White House, Kelly cre-ated controversy when he tried to slander Florida’sDemocratic Rep. Frederica Wilson, who was feud-ing with Trump over his mistreatment of Army Sgt.La David Johnson’s widow Myeshia Johnson.

Kelly also ignited controversy when he disre-garded slavery as a cause of the Civil War andpraised Confederate General Robert E. Lee duringan interview with Fox News.

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www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/December 14, 2018 ~ Page 3

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Romans 5:1 Therefore, having beenjustified by faith, we have peace

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“This life, therefore, is notrighteousness, but growth in righteousness;not health, but healing; not being, butbecoming; not rest, but exercise. We are notyet what we shall be, but we are growingtoward it. The process is not yet finished,but it is going on. This is not the end, but itis the road. All does not yet gleam in glory,but all is being purified.” --- Martin Luther

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and raise his siblings, including his rebelliousand promiscuous 16-year-old sister, Amber (NicolaPeltz). Scarred by his past, Harley becomes infatu-ated with Callie Mercer (Jennifer Morrison) theolder married woman who lives nearby. Things takea dangerous turn when they embark on an affairand shocking family secrets soon begin to emerge.As Harley’s life spirals out of control, unspokentruths leading to a devastating conclusion come tothe surface and threaten to consume him.

In a time where mental health problems andbroken homes seem to plague our headlines, BACKROADS delicately unveil the dark door of incest andmental instability. It unveils the reason behind ac-tions we may see on the nightly news. It takes youon a journey as troubled family members attempt

BACK ROADS tells a story of incestand mental instability continued from page 1

to find some sense of normalcy. As horrible as itmay sound, the characters actually representsomeone’s living nightmare…someone’s reality.Much of the story unveils a dysfunctional family tornfrom its core.

Like actress June Carryl, the thriller’s Psychia-trist, you may find yourself attached to Harley. Feel-ing sorry for this youngster who’s prematurelythrown into adulthood, with the weight of the worldon his shoulders and with his own mental chal-lenges. Like many around us, Harley is able to func-tion and is capable of following a routine. Yet be-neath the surface, there is a raging bull finding itharder and harder to stay inside.

Don’t leave early…there is a shocking end thatawaits!

BACK ROADS - Film Psychiatrist June Carryl comforts Harley Altmyer (Alex Pettyfer).(Photo courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.)

Facing pressure, McConnell agreesto criminal justice vote By Defender News Service

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

(DEFENDER NEWS) - Under pressure fromPresident Donald Trump and many of his Republi-can colleagues, Senate Majority Leader MitchMcConnell said Tuesday that he will bring legisla-tion to the floor to overhaul the nation’s federalsentencing laws.

McConnell’s decision comes after more thanthree years of overtures from a large, bipartisangroup of senators who support the criminal justicebill. Trump announced his support for the legisla-tion last month, but McConnell treaded cautiouslyas a handful of members in his caucus voiced con-cerns that it would be too soft on violent criminals.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican,said Trump’s push for the legislation was “critical tothe outcome.”

“Sen. McConnell was always concerned aboutthe small window of time that we have to do allthese things we need to do, but the president wasinsistent that this be included,” he said.

If the legislation passes, it would be a majorbipartisan policy achievement for this Congress andthe largest sentencing overhaul in decades. AshLeeStrong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker PaulRyan, said, “The House stands ready to act on therevised Senate criminal justice reform bill.” Ryan haslong supported sentencing reform and is retiring atthe end of the session.

Most Senate Democrats support the bill, whichwould revise 1980s and ’90s-era “tough on crime”laws to boost rehabilitation efforts for federal pris-oners and give judges more discretion when sen-

See PROFOUND EFFECT, page 5

Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 14, 2018 YOUTH BRIGADE www.theaustinvillager.com

Youth of TodayHope of Tomorrow

Adopt a Child Believe it or Not

For some reason Ihave started to pay moreattention to the dailynews. As I view the dif-ferent networks I getsometime differentviewpoints.

Therefore it getssometimes confused.Just what show is reallythe truth. There is onething I find that is a con-stant. It is they talkabout the president(Trump). Half the cablenews is always abouthim. It seems its aboutonly his viewpoint. Glo-bal warming or climatechange? It what did hesay or his experts. Is the

worlds opinion? Do thesuper wealthy need atax break or the middleclass? Affordable healthcare do we really needit? Especially since thehealth care industryneeds to make a profit.Their investors want tomake a larger profitdon't they. I wondershould we sometimejust don't pay attentionto it at all. The politiciandon't agree on much ofanything.

One thing I realizeis that none of themseem to be poor. I havesome relatives that be-lieve that you can noteven trust a lot of man'spast written history.Then I was force towatch the show "Fact orFiction". That show didnot help one bit."Ripley's Believe or not"didn't help either. Thenlast was when I was toldthat their over 1,000churches in America. Allare a little different butall say the believe in aGod.

Tyler AllenGus Garcia YMLA

Quinn LangfordCedar Ridge H. S.

This holiday sea-son, all the teachers atCedar Ridge High Schoolin Round Rock were in-vited to participate in aprogram called Adopt aChild with their secondperiod class. Through-out the second half ofNovember, teachersand students boughttoys and necessaryitems like clothes andshoes for their assignedchildren, who were alllower-income elemen-tary schoolers andpreschoolers. They alsodecorated their class-rooms with all sorts ofChristmas decorations,including full-sizedChristmas trees in somecases. On Wednesday,December 5th, all thechildren came to CedarRidge to meet theteachers and studentsthat adopted them.

When they arrivedon campus, they atelunch and watched aperformance put on byour dance department.

Christmas BabyEach child had two highschool escorts whobrought them to their as-signed classroom afterlunch. The children werethen able to enjoy a partyput on by the class andopen their gifts.

My second periodteacher didn’t participatein Adopt a Child, but myEnglish teacher doesn’thave a second periodclass, so she invited stu-dents from all her classesto come and help her. Ourchild was only five, andwhen she arrived with herescorts, she was shy anddidn’t talk much. We hada wide variety of food setup for her, includingpizza, cookies, brown-ies, Goldfish, chips, andjuice pouches, but allshe really wanted was aplateful of Goldfish. Thebest part was when sheopened her presents.Every time she openeda gift, she would gaspand open her eyes wide.Her biggest reactionwas to a headband thathad a unicorn horn andfluffy ears on it. Hersmile spread across herentire face and she im-mediately put theheadband on her head.

Due to economichardships, the Adopt aChild kids may not havegotten any Christmas pre-sents without this pro-gram. It felt so good tomake someone else’sChristmas special.

Zaila Pearl RowlandTOPS

In 2009 I was myfamily’s greatest Christ-mas gift. I wasn’t born onChristmas but the day be-fore. I was supposed to beborn on Dec 26th the dayafter Christmas, but Godhad other plans. Whenpeople find out my birth-day is on Christmas Evethey always say I am luckybecause I get extra pre-sents. I am very blessed tohave parents that don’tcombine my birthday and

The Big Bang Theory

Christmas. Every year Ihave a party on my birth-day and then we cel-ebrate Christmas.

This year I am turn-ing 9 years old. For myparty this year I decided Iwanted a nice dinnerparty where everyonedresses up. At home wemade a Christmas count-down tree but secretly Iam counting down to mybirthday. I am glad I wasnot born on Christmasday. Trying to celebratemy birthday on a day weobserve Jesus’ birthwould be difficult. This ismy last year in my singledigits and I am really ex-cited. We are alreadymaking plans to go toNew York for my 10th

birthday and hopefullythat plan works out.Please pray that I have abirthday full of Happiness,Peace, Family and Love.Also, I am accepting giftsof all kinds.

Have you ever won-dered how God createdthe world we live in? Theuniverse that lies aboveour heads? Well afterthe Big Bang" everythingstarted to evolve leadingto catastrophic events

and that is why the earthhas a shape.

The Big Bang is pre-vailing cosmologicalmodel for the observ-able universe from theearliest known periodsthrough its subsequentlarge scale evolution.Before the bang theoryscientists said the uni-verse was very hot, smalland dense.

Lastly, the big bangwas very important inthe evolution of theworld we live in. Thisevent is changed every-thing about the earth aswe know it making itgreater and better.Thank you for reading

Montrae NelsonFour Points M. S.

Young and Unapologetically Black Part 2

SaNaya WhiteAnn RichardsFor those of you

who did not know, mylast article was part of amemoir I had to turn infor my English class. Lastweek was a preview, hereis the memoir continued."My mama raised me asa single parent. My daddydeparted when I wasyoung, yes I knew him,and yes I have a smallsource of contact withhim. Endlessly, I wouldcry myself to sleep wait-ing for him to comehome. Constantly, Iwould think about him.I’d call his phone, no an-swer, then I would blamemyself for his departure.I struggled, but I now re-alize that the people whostruggled the most, wasmy family. Imagine ex-plaining to a five-year-oldthat her daddy and sib-lings were not gonna re-turn to her. Imagine theface she made and the

questions she would ask.Imagine the river of tearspouring from her face ona day to day basis.

You can think aboutit, but no one will evertruly understand unlessthey’ve been through it.My family are the men-tors of my life. No one inmy family is perfect, rich,or have the pleasure ofnot having to work theirhardest each and everyday. My family has its is-sues, like everyone else,but we come together inthe end. I look up to myfamily, I’ve taken a pieceof each of them as I’vegrown. I know mystrengths and weak-nesses come from them,and you’ll never hear mecomplain. It’s strange tothink that my family wentthrough expectations aswell, at that time theywere much worse. Thefact that they brokethrough those barriers isamazing to me. Once,someone told my mamathat she would never bea successful mother orhave a successful child.My mama is the mostsuccessfully, drivenwoman I know." This isnot the end, part threewill come next week.Please continue reading.

Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonder-land at Circuit Of TheAmericas (COTA) has theChinese Lantern Festival.The laterns have steel

frames that are colorfulwith LED lights. There isalso an outdoor ice skat-ing rink, a petting zoo,tunnel of lights, camelrides, and live music.

W inter Wonder-land started on Novem-ber 29 - December 30,2018. The tickects aresixteen dollars. Childrenages five and under getin free. They also havean all you can ride wrist-band for carnival rides.You will have to pay ex-tra for ice skating rent-als, carnival rides, andcamel rides.

Joshua MooreManor New Tech M.S.

Ruby GeorgeCele Middle School

Tis’ The Season

I’m very excited forChristmas this year. Notnecessarily for presents.Since I am getting older,I am more excited for theschool break and nothaving to wake up earlyin the morning. I love theway the Christmas sea-son makes me feel.When I am excited, I nor-mally get cold, or I don’tgo to sleep as quick as Inormally do. That’swhat happens to me onChristmas Eve. The

Christmas lights on mystreet are so pretty.

If you ask me, Ithink we have the bestChristmas lights becausewe have all red, andthat’s the main Christ-mas color. Whenever Igo to sleep, I see our starshower moving lightsshine through my win-dow. When my parentswrap gifts they tell meand my sister to stay up-stairs. We can alwayshear the music playing intheir room while theywrap. I can’t wait forChristmas, it’s the besttime of year. Fun fact:Did you know that SantaClaus’ attire was origi-nally green until theCoca-Cola companyplanned a commercialfor Christmas time in1930, and they featuredSanta Claus, butchanged his attire to red.

Handwriting Tips

How good is yourhandwriting? I was sur-prised to read that 69%of the population hasbad handwriting. Badhandwriting can havenegative outcomes at

school and at work. Forexample, you might geta lower grade on an as-signment or test if theteacher is unable to readyour writing. At work,your boss may think thatyou are not doing a goodjob or cannot do yourjob if he cannot readyour writing.

I researched to findout what you can do toimprove your handwrit-ing. You should choose awriting pen or pencilthat feels comfortablebetween your fingers.Then practice writing

while holding the pen invarious positions. For aneater presentation,practice consistencywith spacing and sizingof your letters. This willmake your handwritingeasier to read. Alsomake sure that capitalletters look larger than

lowercase letters.If you want to im-

prove your writing, try thetips that I have shared.You don’t have to makespecial time. You canpractice while doodling,just scribbling on paper, orwhile you are watchingtelevision. Give it a try!

Ava RobertsPflugerville M. S.

www.theaustinvillager.com THE REVEALER THE VILLAGER/December 14, 2018 ~ Page 5

IN MEMORIAM: Rosanell Eaton,Queen Mother of Voting Rights, Dies at 97

By Stacy M. BrownNNPA NewswireCorrespondent

Considered aQueen Mother and aleader in the struggleand movement for free-dom, justice and equal-ity, Rosanell Eatonproved a true matriarchto many civil rights lead-ers — especially when itcame to the fight againstvoter suppression.

Eaton died on Sat-urday, Dec. 8, in herhome in Louisburg,North Carolina. She was97.

“Ms. RosanellEaton was the 97-year-old matriarch in ourfour-year successfulcourt fight against votersuppression, from 2013to 2016,” Rev. Dr. Will-iam Barber, the architectof the Forward TogetherMoral Monday Move-ment, and president ofthe North CarolinaNAACP, said in a state-ment early Sunday.

“While alive, shestayed focused on theprize of justice for all,”said Barber, who alsoserves as pastor of theGreenleaf ChristianChurch (Disciples ofChrist) in Goldsboro andis president of Repairersof the Breach. “She oncetold me, ‘They think I’m

gonna die before thiscase is over, but I’m notgonna die. I’m fed upand fired up.”

Social media usersjoined the millions whomourned Eaton.

In a tribute, TheNew York Times notedthat Eaton was “an ob-scure civil rights pioneerin her younger years,who became a causecélèbre after PresidentBarack Obama cited hercourage in his responseto a 2015 article in TheNew York Times Maga-zine about growing ef-forts to dismantle theprotections of the VotingRights Act of 1965.

“I was inspired toread about unsungAmerican heroes like

Rosanell Eaton in JimRutenberg’s ‘A DreamUndone: Inside the 50-year campaign to rollback the Voting RightsAct,’ ” Obama wrote in aletter to the editor. “I amwhere I am today onlybecause men andwomen like RosanellEaton refused to acceptanything less than a fullmeasure of equality.”

As noted in theTimes tribute, a year af-ter the president’s letter,the Supreme Court, in a4-4 vote, let stand a fed-eral appeals court judg-ment upholding the law-suit spearheaded by Ms.Eaton and other plain-tiffs. The ruling struckdown a North Carolinastatute whose provi-

sions “target African-Americans with almostsurgical precision” inwhat the court called aneffort to depress blackturnout at the polls.

One of seven chil-dren born on a farm inNorth Carolina, Eatonattended segregatedschools and used segre-gated bathrooms. How-ever, she always countedas an advocate for votingrights.

The T imes notedthat in her first act ofdefiance, when she was21, she went to theFranklin County Court-house in Louisburg.Three white men con-fronted her there anddemanded to knowwhat she wanted.

“I’m here to regis-ter to vote,” she said.

They told her thatshe could register only ifshe could recite frommemory the Preambleto the Constitution ofthe United States. It wasa common ruse, dis-guised as a literacy test,to turn away black vot-ers. The valedictorian ofher high school class,she complied withouthesitation.

She registered andcast her ballot that year,1942, becoming one ofthe state’s first black vot-ers since Reconstruc-tion.

She voted in nearlyevery election thereaf-ter. For more than 40years, she was a county

poll worker on electiondays, and a special reg-istrar commissioner,helping some 4,000people to register tovote.

In 1950, she joinedthe National Associationfor the Advancement ofColored People, and formore than 60 years par-ticipated in protestsagainst racial discrimina-tion, including the 1963March on Washingtonfor Jobs and Freedom.

During the civilrights turmoil of the1960s, she and her fam-ily were threatened re-peatedly by night riders,according to federalcourt papers.

She awoke severaltimes to the crackle ofburning crosses outsideher home. Farm equip-ment was damaged onenight, and bullets werefired into a shed and intothe farmhouse. Onestruck just below herbedroom window.

“God bless[Eaton],” said NNPAPresident and CEO Dr.Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.,who was a close friendof Eaton’s. “The struggleand movement for free-dom, justice and equal-ity continues,” he said.“Matriarch QueenMother Leader RosanellEaton … rest in peace.”

94 Year Old Rosanell Eaton Speaks at NC’s America’s Journey for Justice Rally.(Photo: YouTube)

tencing nonviolentoffenders. It would at-tempt to focus thetoughest sentences onthe most violent of-fenders, lowering man-datory minimum sen-tences for some non-violent drug offensesand reducing the lifesentence for some drugoffenders with threeconvictions, or “threestrikes,” to 25 years.

Supporters say thechanges would make thenation’s criminal justicesystem fairer, reduceovercrowding in federalprisons and save tax-payer dollars. The billwould affect only federalprisoners, who make uproughly 10 percent ofthe country’s prisonpopulation. Severalstates have passed simi-lar laws that apply tostate prisons.

“It is an opportu-nity to correct manifestinjustices in the system,”said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz,who signed on to thelegislation last week af-ter supporters agreed to

make tweaks to guardagainst violent criminalsbeing released early.“There are far too manyyoung black men whofind themselves incar-cerated for years or evendecades based on non-violent drug offenses.”

Republican Sen.Rand Paul of Kentucky,another supporter, saidhe thinks the legislationbecame “a more con-sensus product” afterCruz’s tweaks were ac-cepted and he an-nounced his support.

“We’re going tohave a lot of people onboard,” Paul said. “Andit’s the right thing to do.”

Democratic Sen.Cory Booker of NewJersey, a leading propo-nent of the bill, said ifthe legislation ispassed, it will have “aprofound effect onthousands of familieswho have been suffer-ing as a result of thisbroken system.” Hesaid many of the bill’sbeneficiaries would beAfrican-American.

Booker said the billisn’t “all the way there”in terms of the sentenc-ing reforms that he andother Democrats wouldhave liked, but it would“take a step in the rightdirection and correct theills of the last 25, 30years.”

The bill has been apriority for Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner,who has worked behindthe scenes with support-ive Republican senatorsover the last two yearsand pushed Trump tosupport it. It was also atop issue for formerPresident BarackObama, who had hopedto see the bill becomelaw before he left office.

Supporters havelong said that the billwould pass if McConnellwould just put it on thefloor. But McConnellhesitated as some vocalmembers of his caucussaid the bill would allowthe release of violent fel-ons — a charge that GOPsupporters denied.

McConnell said he

was moving the bill assoon as this week “at therequest of the presi-dent” and following im-provements to the legis-lation.

The Senate’s mostvocal opponent, Re-publican Sen. Tom Cot-ton of Arkansas, saidthe revised legislation“still has major prob-lems and allows earlyrelease for many cat-egories of serious, vio-lent criminals.” Cottonsaid he will introduceamendments to thelegislation on the floor,suggesting he could de-lay its passage as sena-tors try to wrap up be-fore Christmas.

Senate JudiciaryCommittee ChairmanChuck Grassley, thelegislation’s lead spon-sor, has not yet releasedthe text of the legisla-tion. Louisiana Sen. JohnKennedy, a Republicanwho has also been skep-tical of the bill, said hewas waiting to see it be-cause he wants to “try tofigure out how many

people they are going tolet go.”

While senatorshave been pressuringMcConnell to take upthe bill for years, thepressure ramped up inrecent weeks as the ses-sion neared an end andsupporters worried thatDemocrats taking theHouse majority in Janu-ary would want to re-write the bill. Kushnerspoke with senatorsregularly — daily, insome cases — and ap-peared on Fox NewsChannel’s “Hannity” onMonday night, urgingMcConnell to take it up.

Trump said Tuesdaythat the bill has “great”support and was “goingto be passing, hope-fully.”

“Thanks to LeaderMcConnell for agreeing tobring a Senate vote onCriminal Justice thisweek!” Trump tweeted.“These historic changeswill make communitiesSAFER and SAVE tremen-dous taxpayers dollars. Itbrings much needed

hope to many familiesduring the Holiday Sea-son.”

Supporters whohave been pushing thebill for years — includingmany law enforcementorganizations, liberal ad-vocacy groups and ma-jor GOP donors —praised McConnell’s an-nouncement.

The American CivilLiberties Union encour-aged senators to vote forthe legislation, saying it“makes modest but im-portant improvementsto our criminal justicesystem.”

Holly Harris, ex-ecutive director of theadvocacy group Jus-tice Action Network,said McConnell’s deci-sion is “an incrediblygroundbreaking mo-ment” and emotionalfor the broad coalitionthat has been workingon it for so long.

“I never doubtedthe leader would beon the right side ofhistory on this bi ll,”Harris said.

N.J. Senator CoryBooker says the newlegislation will have“profound effect on

thousands of families”CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 U.S. Senator Cory Booker

Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 14, 2018 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com

Black Austin Democrats Host Annual Christmas Party

On December 9,2018, the Black AustinDemocrats (BAD) heldtheir annual Christmasparty in Austin. Theevent was well attendedby elected officials, com-munity leaders, and resi-dents. Some of theelected officials presentwere: CouncilmanJimmy Flannigan, Con-gressman Lloyd Doggett,Texas State House repre-sentative Sheryl Cole,Judge Yvonne Williamsand many more.

Black Austin Demshonored several promi-nent leaders that have

continued to make a dif-ference and impact

throughout the commu-nity. Nelda Wells Spears

Distinguished ServiceAward, presented to

Travis County Commis-sioner Jeff Travillion, ac-

cepting the GrassrootsAward was LamandaBallard earned theEmerging Leader Award,Neal Whetstone tookthe Beacon of LightAward, Royce Brooksand Tommy Wyatt bothwere honored with theLifetime AchievementAward.

Moreover, it was anight to enjoy but reflect onthe post-election outcome.All awardees expressedthat, with the outcome ofthe recent election, thereis a need for them to workharder to provide betteroutcomes for the AfricanAmerican community inCentral Texas. Congress-man Lloyd Doggett at-tended the party.

Black Austin Democrats Awardees. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist

Black Pflugerville HostsKwanzaa Celebration

Pictured left to right: Meme Styles andMs. Alicia. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

On December 17th,Black Pflugerville will beteaming up withDiaspora Vote, to hold todiscuss the upcomingKwanzaa celebration.According to the orga-nizers, "in the spirit ofthe season, come out toBlack Pflugerville's De-cember meeting and as-sist us in planning ourKwanzaa feast."

Black businessesand vendors are encour-aged to attend in orderto secure their spot inthe festivities. Boothsare free and holding thepillar of Ujamaa strong,Black Pflugerville wantsto uplift as many compa-nies and corporations as

by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist

possible.Finally, Black

Pflugerville and the Afri-can Diaspora plan tohold the event at the

end of December. Markyour calendars for De-cember 29, 2018, from1:00 - 3:00 pm for an af-ternoon of fellowship.

TexAfrica Market Festivalby Tsoke

(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist

Over the years, theAfrican Diaspora com-munity population hascontinued increase.Austin and Pflugerville,Texas has been a hot-spot for new Africanbusiness owners due toits growing economy.Moreover, numerous Af-rican business ownersare seeking to becomemore mainstream.

On December 15,2018, the Texas AfricaBazaar will take place on12th street and Chicon inEast Austin. Accordingto the organizer, thisevent is meant to unitevarious African busi-nesses, giving them high

visibility within the com-munity.

This will be a fam-ily-friendly experience.

In addition, there will beperformances from localAfrican Diaspora musi-cians like Abou Sylla.

Pictured left to right: Julie & Abou Sylla.Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

Rockin’ Holiday Extravaganza

Don’t miss our annual one-of-a-kind Holiday Extravaganza withspecial guests Nakia and The Invincible Czars for what has becomea “must see” for Austin music lovers. This concert features someexpected favorites while also reaching out to those for whom theholidays are difficult, offering hope in the form of poignant anthemsand seasonal sing-a-longs.

Museum admission is always free on Thursdays.The Blanton is located at the intersection of Congress Avenue

and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.Paid parking is available in the Blanton/Brazos Garage on Brazos

Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Thursday, December 20th | 5:30 pmThe Blanton Museum of Art, 200 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.

City and UP Art Studio Call on Artists toTransform Traffic Signal Cabinets

The City of Austin and UP Art Studio are inviting artists to bringlocal flair to Austin streets. The Austin Transportation Departmenthas contracted with UP Art Studio to bring the studio's Mini Muralsprogram to the department's new Artbox Program, which makestraffic signal control cabinets at intersections available as canvasesfor artists.

UP Art Studio has opened a call for artists, inviting local Austinartists to submit their qualifications for the opportunity to create anartbox, or mini mural on a signal cabinet. The deadline is Sunday,Dec. 30, 2018. Applications will be reviewed, and qualifying artistsaccepted, to create a registry of artists available for this opportunityand future projects managed by UP Art Studio. Artists will be com-pensated $1,000 for their work.

Artists interested in joining the registry can find the open callguidelines at minimurals.org/austin. The application requires pro-viding qualifications, images of prior work, a letter of intent, andother information. Applicants will be notified of results the week ofJan. 14, 2018.

For more information about the project, visit minimurals.org/austin.

EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS

www.theaustinvillager.com CLASSIFIEDS THE VILLAGER/December 14, 2018 ~ Page 7

Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.

6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512 223-5621hhtp://www./austincc.ed

EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V

Are you interested in doingbusiness with the City of Austin?

We are here for you!City of Austin

Purchasing OfficeVendor Registration

512-974-2018VendorReg@austintexas.gov

www.austintexas.gov/department/purchasingFor information on the City of Austin’s Minority/

Women-Owned Procurement Program please contact theSmall & Minority Business Resources at 512-974-7600or visit www.austintexas.gov/smbr.

New Jobs for theWeek of 12/09/2018Designer, Instructional

Multiple LocationsJob# 1811049

Specialist, Program-Part-Time(50%)

San Gabriel CampusJob# 1811053

Coordinator, Student ConductHighland Campus

Job# 1812009Assistant, Admissions

Riverside CampusJob# 1812010

Specialist, Area of StudyAdvising (Student Services)

Elgin CampusJob# 1812003

Assistant, LibraryNorthridge Campus

Job# 1811015Assistant, Lab

Multiple LocationsJob# 1812006

Kennedy Georgeweiss high school

Last Saturday, I got theopportunity to auditionfor a spot in region band.It was my first timedoing a region auditionin high school. I haddone region auditions inmiddle school, but themusic definitelywasn’tas hard. I’ve workedhard preparing 3different

Region Auditionsetudes over the past 4months. I have to admit I didprocrastinate learningthem, so I was worried Iwasn’t as prepared aseveryone else. I rode ona bus with my otherfriends auditioning. Having my friendsthat I’ve gotten closewith this year there withme definitely helpedwith nerves. Just know-ing that everyone else isfeeling the same feelingis pretty comforting. We got there and I feellike I performed well,even though it wasn’t mybest. I ended up getting11th out of 30 otherclarinets. I also got a spotin this regions bandbecause I placed in thetop 18.

KARMA DOES WASHINGTON By John Harris Jr. | Villager Sports Writer

QB Alex Smith suffers a broken leg during Washington’s loss to the Houston Texans. (Reuters)

(VILLAGER NEWS) -Washington’s NFL teamis getting exactly what itdeserves. I thought theultimate goal in profes-sional sports was tryingto win at all costs, butthat isn’t the case withRedskins owner DanielSnyder, who couldn’tcare less about winningfootball games whilecontinuing to gouge fanswith some of the high-est-priced tickets in theleague.

After losing startingquarterback Alex Smithto a horrific leg injury,Washington promotedColt McCoy, the formerTexas Longhornsstandout, creating theneed for a backup. Com-mon sense indicatedthat player should beColin Kaepernick, thebest available quarter-back on the market by alongshot. You know, thefellow who beat outSmith in San Franciscoand guided the 49ers toback-to-back NFC Cham-pionship games andcame within a missedpass interference call ofbeating the BaltimoreRavens in Super BowlXLVII. The same guy whoset an NFL single-gamerecord for rushing yardsby a quarterback in hisfirst career playoff start.

Right?

Uh … no.W a s h i n g t o n /

Snyder didn’t want anypart of Kaepernick, theposter child for ath-letes kneeling duringthe national anthem toprotest the killing ofunarmed black men bypolice. Head coach JayGruden made up alame excuse about notsigning Kaepernick be-cause he’s been awayfrom the game too longand the coaching staffwould have to teachhim a brand-new of-fense. Instead, Wash-

ington signed formerfirst-round draft pickand longtime bustMark Sanchez, who hasplayed for a total of sixteams - not very well, Imight add. Not onlyisn’t Sanchez any good,neither he norKaepernick - who hasbeen blackballed by theNFL - had thrown a passin a game since January1, 2017. So much forWashington using theKaepernick-is-rusty ex-cuse when the samelogic should have ap-plied to Sanchez.

Marinate on this.Washington refused tosign Kaepernick becauseof his national anthemprotest. Yet the Redskinsrecently leaped at thechance to sign talentedbut troubled linebackerReuben Foster, who hasa history of domesticviolence and was justreleased by San Fran-cisco for - you guessed it- domestic violence. Theoptics surroundingWashington’s decisionto sign Foster while ig-noring Kaepernick is ter-rible.

Back to football. Atthe time of the Smith in-jury, Washington was 6-5 and in the thick of theplayoff race. But giventhe chance to add aproven winner whocould not only keepthem in the playoff racebut also help them winthe NFC East, theRedskins passed onKaepernick and signedSanchez.

Karma, baby.The head-scratch-

ing transaction sent aclear message that

Washington isn’t reallyinterested in winning byputting the best playerson the field. There’s noway on a level playingfield that Sanchez is abetter quarterback thanKaepernick, but Wash-ington doesn’t seem tocare. When McCoy wentdown the followingweek against Philadel-phia, also with a brokenleg, Gruden was forcedto play Sanchez, whocompleted 13 of 21passes for 100 yardswith an interception in a28-13 loss.

F o l l o w i n gWashington’s latest de-bacle, a 40-16 drubbingby the New York Giantsin which Sanchez com-pleted 6 of 14 passes for38 yards and two inter-ceptions for an embar-rassing

quarterback ratingof 1.1 and was mercifullyreplaced by someonenamed Josh Johnsonwho has played for 12NFL teams, Redskinsfans should demandtheir money back be-cause, clearly, their teamisn’t trying to win at allcosts. The likelihood ofSanchez giving Washing-ton a better chance towin than Kaepernick isslim and none, and slimjust left town.

Colin Kaepernick (#7) is seen here knealing during the National Anthem before an NFL game.

Michelle Obama Extends Tour As SalesFor ‘Becoming’ Top 3 Million

( D E F E N D E RNEWS) - Former firstlady Michelle Obama ismaking a stop in Hous-ton for her book tour inMarch.

After Obama soldout arenas in 12 differ-ent cities, Live Nationand Crown Publishingannounced that addi-tional dates and citieshave been added in2019 to “Becoming: AnIntimate Conversationwith Michelle Obama.”

One of those citiesincludes Houston, Texas.The event will be heldMarch 2 at the ToyotaCenter. Fans have achance to get ticketsearly by registering nowthrough Wednesday at

10 p.m. For more infor-mation, click link here.

Tickets will go onsale for the general pub-lic on Dec. 15 atB e c o m i n g M i c h e l l eObama.com.

According to thepress release, there willbe a limited of VIP meetand greet packages withthe former first lady.

“I couldn’t be moreexcited to visit evenmore cities across thecountry and around theworld,” Obama said.“I’ve been so humbledby the response to thetour thus far and theoverwhelming interestwe’ve received from somany communities weweren’t able to visit this

year. That’s why I’mthrilled that we’re ableto expand our conversa-tions to these new set-tings and wider audi-ences. I can’t wait tocontinue the discussionsthat have been so mean-ingful for me and, I hope,for so many others.”

Sales for MichelleObama‘s memoir havetopped 3 million and theformer first lady is ex-tending her book tourinto 2019.

“Becoming,” pub-lished four weeks ago, isamong the fastest-sell-ing nonfiction books inhistory and alreadyamong the best-sellingpolitical memoirs of alltime.

Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 14, 2018 THE DISPATCH www.theaustinvillager.com

Black Panther’ poised to becomean Oscars heavyweight

By Associated Press

(The AP) - “BlackPanther” has, in a way,already been to the Os-cars. Much of the film’scast was eagerly high-lighted at March’s cer-emony: a welcomesplash of blockbusterluster at an AcademyAwards that largelylacked it. “Black Pan-ther” had at the time al-ready been in theatersfor a few weeks, leadinghost Jimmy Kimmel tonote:

“This is a night forpositivity and our plan isto shine a light on agroup of outstandingand inspiring films, eachand every one of whichgot crushed by ‘BlackPanther’ this weekend,”said Kimmel while muchof the audience eitherlaughed or winced. (OnOscar Sunday alone,“Black Panther” grossed$19.9 million.)

As Hollywood’sawards season properlygets under way, “BlackPanther” is poised to re-turn to the AcademyAwards, but this time asa nominee — and poten-tially a major one. RyanCoogler ’s superherosensation has alreadynotched countlessrecords, pulverized box-office myths and set newmarks for inclusivity.And now, “Black Pan-ther” is in line to shatterOscar norms, too.

All of this year ’scontenders have by nowscreened, and Oscarprognosticators gener-ally have “Black Pan-

ther” in, comfortably, asa best picture nominee.Both the pundit survey“Gurus of Gold” and Hol-lywood Reporter awardsanalyst Scott Feinbergplace “Black Panther”fifth, behind front-run-ners “A Star Is Born,”“Roma,” “Green Book”and “The Favourite.”Gold Derby slots “BlackPanther” in at No. 7, stilleasily within thecategory’s range of up to10 nominees.

Much is still in fluxin the Oscar race aheadof Thursday morning’sGolden Globes nomina-tions. But unless some-thing drastic happens,“Black Panther” will nextmonth become the firstcomic book film to benominated for best pic-ture and easily MarvelStudios’ most significantOscar contender ever.

That’s very goodnews for ABC’s Feb. 24telecast which is comingoff an all-time low of26.5 million viewers.Some 55.2 millionwatched “T itanic”sweep the 1997 Oscars,and producers have longharbored dreams of an-other big-tent block-buster pulling viewers toa broadcast increasinglydominated by indepen-dent films like “TheShape of Water,”“Moonlight” and “Spot-light.” Usually, biggermovies mean bigger rat-ings.

For the makers of“Black Panther,” it’s anew chapter for a film —

with more than $1.3 bil-lion in ticket sales, thethird-highest all-timedomestic gross and thebiggest box-office hitever directed by a blackman — that has alreadyfilled record books.What does Coogler thinkof “Black Panther” as anOscar movie?

“Fortunately, Idon’t have to thinkabout it that much,” the32-year-old filmmaker of“Fruitvale Station” and“Creed” said in an inter-view. “I’ve grown to haveclose relationships withmy collaborators, so Icare about the craftspeople who work on thefilm and the actors whowork on the film. Be-cause of those relation-ships, I’m happy whenthey’re happy. It’s al-ways nice when peopleare recognized for theirwork. But beyond that, Ireally don’t worry aboutit.”

Yet few films will bewatched more closelythrough awards seasonthan “Black Panther,”which is also in the run-ning for Ruth Carter’scostume design, the cin-ematography of RachelMorrison (who last yearbecame the first womanever nominated in thecategory), HannahBeachler’s productiondesign, Coogler’s direc-tion, the script by JoeRobert Cole and Coogler,Kendrick Lamar’s song“All the Stars” andMichael B. Jordan’s sup-porting performance.

“Black Panther”has already been at thecenter of the uproarover the Academy ofMotion Picture Arts andSciences’ short-livedplans to institute a “bestpopular film” category.The academy’s movewas intended to rope inmore box-office hits tothe broadcast, but criticssaid such a categorywould potentiallyghettoize films like“Black Panther” fromthe prestigious honor ofbest picture. (Cooglerdeclined to address thecategory’s scuttling.)

While superherofilms have dominatedmultiplexes for the lastdecade, the Oscars havebeen famously resistantto them. Ten years ago,“The Dark Knight”earned eight nomina-tions but missed out onbest picture, promptingthe film academy to ex-pand the category thefollowing year.

Many of theacademy’s members re-sent how superheroeshave come to dominatethe industry, but therehave been some signslately that anti-Marvelsentiment is ebbing. Lastyear, while “WonderWoman” failed to earn anod, the Wolverine se-quel “Logan” becamethe first superhero filmnominated for bestadapted screenplay .This year, best animatedfilm may also be a super-hero battle, with“Incredibles 2” and “Spi-

der-Man: Into the Spi-der-Verse” among thefavorites.

But the awardscampaign for “Black Pan-ther” is predicated lesson its superhero DNAthan on its cultural im-pact and on its personalnature as, despite itsbudget, an auteur filmby one of the mostwidely respected youngfilmmakers in Holly-wood. “Black Panther”last week for a dayplayed for free inarthouse theaters na-tionwide in an event puton by Art House Conver-gence and Film Com-ment.

For Coogler, mak-ing “Black Panther”couldn’t be more per-sonal. It was a journey infinding his own connec-tion to Africa. While de-veloping the script, hevisited South Africa,Kenya and the Kingdomof Lesotho — a tiny na-tion that inspiredCoogler’s Wakanda.

“In simple terms,the film is what broughtme to the continent,”says Coogler. “It was kindof a lifelong thing just toget there and see it. Thething that I found was asense of identity as anAfrican person. I foundin those trips andthrough that research adefinition for myself ofwhat it means to be Af-rican. That was a ques-tion I was seeking as afilmmaker.”

Coogler had asense he wasn’t alone in

wanting that connec-tion, that others felt aneed for it, too. “But,” hesays, “I could neverimagine to the extentthat it did.”

“Black Panther” ar-rived to feverish enthu-siasm and debuted inthe most resplendentand regal Hollywoodpremiere of the decade.It has been called “a de-fining moment for BlackAmerica,” pop-culturemyth-making at its bestand the best big-budgetstudio epic in ages. Par-ents took their kids andkids took their parents ina groundbreaking gen-erational event. The-aters were rented out. Itwas the No. 1 film at theU.S. box office for fivestraight weeks.

“We always saw itas a film to watch withyour loved ones, withyour friends and withstrangers, in communalsettings,” says Coogler.“People are still inter-ested in doing that andit feels fortunate.”

In a year whereNetflix has a formidableOscar contender inAlfonso Cuaron’s“Roma,” and fears ofthe diminishing of thetheatrical experiencepervade the industry,that may be the mostappealing reason foracademy members tovote for “Black Pan-ther ”: It proved thesti l l-vibrant, earth-shattering power of themovie theater. BlackPanther, to the rescue.

City of Austin - Assistant City Manager Openings for Mobility and SafetyDear Community Partners,We are happy to announce again that two additional career opportunities await an

inclusive, talented, and accomplished candidate with the City of Austin as an AssistantCity Manager in the areas of 1) Mobility, and 2)Safety.

These executives will work together with the City Manager, City Council, and thecommunity to build upon the Austin values of equity and inclusivity for years to come. Totruly accomplish this goal, we need qualified, diverse candidates, and we ask that youforward this information to community groups with which you are involved.

To be considered, candidates must submit a compelling cover letter, comprehensiveresume, and three professional references to apply@ralphandersen.com.

For questions regarding the positions, please contact Mr. Greg Nelson with RalphAndersen & Associates at (916) 630-4900.