Project Update 2

 

This week we went back to the Robert Weaver neighborhood. We were able to start and finish filming for our documentary. The next step in our project process is to begin editing in order to put together the final documentary for public viewing. We were able to get some really good footage of Mrs. Ross who had so many interesting stories since she's lived in the same house for 46 years! We also were able to get footage from Mr. Owens and Mrs. Renteria. Although we weren't able to speak to the renters as we originally wanted to, (they didn't want to be involved) we're really excited about the footage we did get.  I've really enjoyed getting to know the residents and listening to what they had to say. I think overall our project has gone really well so far and will continue to do so.

"I think documentaries are the greatest way to educate a generation that doesn't often look back to learn anything about the history that provided a safe heaven for so many of us today."

-Steven Spielberg

Project Update 1

 
Last week (10/13), my group and I met at Robert Weaver Neighborhood to begin the documentary but the residents didn't feel comfortable since they had not been informed of our arrival. We are set to start filming our documentary this afternoon. Hopefully we get some good stories from the residents. We hoping to address some of the questions surrounding what they know about East Austin, how did they get one of the homes in this neighborhood, and what they remember about the neighborhood.

blog 5

The most interesting thing I learned from the book, Images of America Austin's Rosewood Neighborhood, was the history of Huston Tillotson neighborhood. Often times we, as longhorns, can forget about the other universities that are here in Austin. Although I knew that HT was a historically black college or university (HBCU), I didn't know truly of the university's history and impact on East Austin. Often times instead of focusing on celebrating each others educational accomplishments there has been a controversy within the black community surrounding PWI vs HBCU. The book highlights the education of blacks in East Austin from high school and lower.

Blog Post 4

I tried to Google gentrification in Beaumont, Texas (my hometown) but the results mostly talked about gentrification in East Austin and some parts of Houston. I haven't heard of anyone really discussing gentrification in Beaumont so I called my dad and he explained that we haven't really had anything like Austin's gentrification. He also told me that Beaumont really struggled in the 80s and 90s when blacks would buy homes in neighborhoods were there were mostly white people and they called it "white flight" (the opposite of what's happening in Austin). The white people would move to surrounding cities such as Lumberton and Vidor (now known to be pretty discriminatory towards minorities). I think Austin's gentrification is unique because it's happening at such a fast rate and it's happening all over East Austin. During the van tour I was able to visually see it house by house neighborhood. I think the tour helped to really show what was happening and how it was affecting homes in the area (McMansions driving up property taxes).