Research Guide for Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation: Central Texas & Austin

Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation: Central Texas & Austin History

This comprehensive resource guide is the work of a team of people with different skill sets, knowledge, and experience, whose combined strengths and commitment have driven the work.

The team included Teresa Ashley, Arnold Bellow, Dr. Kelly Crook, Loretta Edelen, Dr. Stephanie Hawley, Patricia Scott, Jennifer Steverson, Martha Ward, and Zenobia Joseph, with additional support from Skye Howell, Ursula Pike, Nichole Prescott, the Austin History Center staff, and area librarians and historians.

Research Guides

At ACC:

Cultural Fluency
by Lynda Infante Huerta Last Updated Apr 19, 2024 1736 views this year

International Students This guide is designed to introduce international students to the resources and services of Austin Community College Libraries.
Multicultural History Ethnic History of the United States of America
Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys This guide serves as the Austin Community College Library Services virtual Muslim Journeys Bookshelf. It introduces the collection and enables interested readers to request materials online.

At other colleges and universities:

Resisting Racism This research guide provides print and digital sources around resisting racism. From art and fiction to scholarly journals and web videos, there are many ways folks from all communities are resisting racism.

ACC Databases

Useful databases with sample articles are provided below. Use your ACC ID to log in. Some examples of terms to use in searching for TRHT information include: African American incarceration, diversity, gender bias in the classroom, gender equity, inclusion, Latinx immigration, LGBTQ bigotry, Muslim employment discrimination, racial disparities in healthcare inequities, racial equity in the classroom, racism, social justice. More search terms can be found by clicking on the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion tab above and then going to Research tab in the menu bar.

Academic Search Complete provides scholarly articles, news, and research on topics in most subject areas.

Committed to Equity: How faculty and administrators bring a focus on racial justice to their work

Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America provides articles on all aspects of native North American culture, history, and daily life.

BLACK LIVES MATTER ON INDIGENOUS LAND: Solidarity in Sacramento.

ERIC (EBSCO) EBSCO's ERIC interface links to full-text where available.

Practical Tools for Improving Equity and Dismantling Racism in Schools

Health Source - Consumer Edition provides articles from consumer health magazines, pamphlets, reference books, and Clinical Reference Systems reports.

We Can Guarantee the Right to Vote Once and for All: It requires acknowledging the obvious: Racism isn't over.

JSTOR contains more than a thousand academic journals and over one million images, letters, and other primary sources.

Introduction—Healing through Policy: Creating Pathways to Racial Justice

Legal Collection provides articles about criminal justice, international law, federal law, organized crime, and ethics.

Racial Injustice, Racial Discrimination, and Racism: How Are They Related?

LGBTQ+ Source provides scholarly and popular LGBTQ publications in full text, plus historically important primary sources, including monographs, magazines and newspapers. It also includes a specialized LGBTQ thesaurus containing thousands of terms.

Bridging Divides: A visualization of the Truth Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Movement.

MasterFILE Complete provides articles on most topics including business, health, education, science, and social issues.

Building the Racial Equity Ecosystem for Sustainable Change

MEDLINE (EBSCO) provides articles from biomedical journals maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

Educators Countering the Impact of Structural Racism on Health Equity.

Newspaper Source Plus provides articles from hundreds of domestic and international newspapers and news magazines.

NBA Athletes Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, And LeBron James Foundations Come Together With The W.K. Kellogg Foundation To Support Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Nationally

Professional Development Collection provides articles on educational development, pedagogical theory, and practice.

Finding Our Common Humanity Amidst “The Fierce Urgency of Now”

Race Relations Abstracts is a bibliographic database covering areas relevant to race relations, including ethnic studies, discrimination, immigration studies, and other areas of relevance to the discipline.

Fever dreams: W. E. B. Du Bois and the racial trauma of COVID-19 and lynching.

SocINDEX with Full Text provides full-text, peer-reviewed sociology journals covering gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, religion and social work. It also includes thousands of author profiles and a sociological thesaurus.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Social Work's Role in Racial Healing

TOPICsearch provides information on hot topics from newspapers, periodicals, and government sources.

Why the LGBTQ Movement Must Fight for Racial Justice.

US South Central Newsstream‎ provides regional news and archives which stretch back to the 1980s featuring newspapers, newswires, and news sites in active full-text.

Asian hate, Stop Black hate, stop all hate: Many Americans call for unity against racism

Community Resources

Source: Pixabay from Pexels

ACC African-American Cultural Center The African-American Cultural Center at the Eastview Campus strives to increase understanding in the ACC and Central Texas communities of the culture, history and contributions of African-Americans.
ACC Center for Peace and Conflict Studies Through avenues of academic study, professional development training, community events, service learning, and travel abroad opportunities, the Peace & Conflict Center maintains its commitment to establishing frameworks for nonviolent conflict transformation at the interpersonal, interpersonal, local, national, and international levels.
ACC Latino/Latin American Studies Center "El Centro" The Latino/Latin American Studies Center, also known as El Centro, is an inter-disciplinary, college-wide Center supporting Latino and Mexican American studies. It strives to increase understanding in the ACC and Central Texas communities of the culture, history and contributions of Latinos.
ACC LGBT eQuity The mission of the ACC LGBT eQuity Committee is to promote a safe environment for students, faculty and staff. The LGBT eQuity Committee strives to educate students, faculty and staff on the issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community to better help them with challenges they may face. By inspiring and engaging individuals, our goal is to create a more enjoyable, inclusive experience at Austin Community College.
ACC Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion The Austin Community College District is a welcoming and inclusive environment for diverse students and community members where race, ethnicity, gender, and other human differences are no longer predictors of success.
African American Quality of Life Initiative The African American Quality of Life Initiative began as the City of Austin assessed the conditions and sentiment of the City’s African American community through a series of community discussions and presentations to City Council.
Asian American Cultural Center The mission of the Asian American Cultural Center is to provide the facilities, expertise and unique space for the sharing of culture between the East and the West in the American Experience.
Asian American Resource Center The mission of the Asian American Resource Center (AARC) is to provide spaces, services, resources, and programs through an Asian American Pacific Islander perspective. The vision is to empower Austin's diverse communities through cultural understanding and life-enhancing opportunities.
Austin Area Urban League The mission of the Austin Area Urban League is to provide tools to African Americans and under-served populations to build a foundation for social and economic equity and equality. Through our programs, volunteer groups, and partners, our mission is to provide tools to African-Americans, and under-served populations, to build a foundation for social and economic equality.
Community Resources A-Z Films, articles, websites, and organizations focused on TRHT
George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center The George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center is dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, interpretation and exhibition of historical and cultural materials reflecting all dimensions of experiences of persons of African descent living in Austin, Travis County, and in the United States.
Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Initiative The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Initiative is a multi-phased process that includes demographic research, trend and data analysis, community engagement and input and oversight team review culminating in a final recommendations report.
Mexican American Resource Guide: Sources of Information Relating to the Mexican American Community in Austin and Travis County The collections of the Austin History Center contain valuable materials about Austin and Travis County’s Mexican American communities.
QWELL Community Foundation Making Austin the Best Community for LGBTQIA+ People to live, work, and play.
Student Accessibility Services & Assistive Technology (SAS) at ACC There is a Student Accessibility Services (SAS) office at each campus. If you have a disability, contact Accessibility Services at the campus that's most convenient for you. Once you qualify for services, Accessibility Services staff meets with you to determine reasonable, appropriate, and effective accommodations based on the courses in which are enrolled and your disability.

National Resources

African American History Month February is African American History Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.
Americans for Indian Opportunity Americans for Indian Opportunity advances, from an Indigenous worldview, the cultural, political and economic rights of Indigenous peoples in the United States and around the world.
The Anti-Racist Alliance The Anti-Racist Alliance is a movement for racial equity. We are an organizing collective of human service practitioners and educators whose vision is to bring a clear and deliberate anti-racist structural power analysis to social service education and practice.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Rooted in the dreams of immigrants and inspired by the promise of opportunity, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC (Advancing Justice | AAJC) advocates for an America in which all Americans can benefit equally from, and contribute to, the American dream. Our mission is to advance the civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all
Black and Brown News BlackandBrownNews.com (BBN) first launched in 2006, and evolved to an award-winning news and information service, created with a mission to reach, inform, cover and engage the African Diaspora.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Equality
Black Lives Matter The Black Lives Matter Global Network is a chapter-based, member-led organization whose mission is to build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
BlackPast BLACKPAST IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING A GLOBAL AUDIENCE WITH RELIABLE AND ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICA AND OF PEOPLE OF AFRICAN ANCESTRY AROUND THE WORLD. WE AIM TO PROMOTE GREATER UNDERSTANDING THROUGH THIS KNOWLEDGE TO GENERATE CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGE IN OUR SOCIETY.
Brown Foundation The Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research was established in 1988 to serve as a living tribute to the attorneys, community organizers and plaintiffs in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision of May 17, 1954, Brown v. the Board of Education. Our mission is to build upon the work of those involved in the Brown decision, to ensure equal opportunity for all people. Our cornerstone is to keep the tenets and ideals of Brown relevant for future generations through programs, preservation, advocacy and civic engagement.
Center for Community Change Founded in 1968 to honor the life and values of Robert F. Kennedy, the Center’s mission is to build the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to change their communities and public policies for the better
Common Dreams Common Dreams is a reader-supported independent news outlet created in 1997 as a new media model. Our nonprofit newsroom covers the most important news stories of the moment. Common Dreams free online journalism keeps our millions of readers well-informed, inspired, and engaged.
DallasTruth, RacialHealing & Transformation Dallas TRHT is a community-driven vehicle for change to transform the community and eventually the country. The TRHT approach examines how the hierarchy of human value became embedded in our society, both its culture and structures, and then works with communities to design and implement effective actions that will permanently uproot it.
EmbraceRace As US racial divisions and inequities grow sharper and more painful, the work of envisioning and creating systems of authentic racial inclusion and belonging in the United States remains work in progress. We believe that reversing the trend must begin in our homes, schools, and communities with our children’s hearts and minds.
Every Child Thrives Children are at the heart of all we do at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Our goal is to support lasting, transformational change so every child can thrive, but we recognize that children live in families and families live in communities. That’s why Every Child Thrives shares the real-life experiences and knowledge of communities mobilizing for a brighter future. We believe all people have the inherent capacity to effect change in their lives, in their organizations and in their communities. By lifting up the stories you will find in Every Child Thrives, we hope to inspire conversation and innovation in you and your community
Everyday Democracy Everyday Democracy supports organizing across the country by bringing diverse groups of people together, helping them structure and facilitate community dialogue on pressing issues, and training them to use a racial equity lens to understand longstanding problems and possible solutions.
Initiatives of Change Initiatives of Change (IofC) is a world-wide movement of people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, who are committed to the transformation of society through changes in human motives and behavior, starting with their own.
Institute for the Study of Race and Culture The mission of the Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture is to promote a more complete understanding of race and culture in society through psychological study and related psycho-educational interventions. The Institute is intended to foster national and international collaboration between educators, mental health providers, and scholars with interests in the psychological study of race, culture, and social policy.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Building upon the achievements of Stanford University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project, the King Institute supports a broad range of activities illuminating Dr. King's life and the movements he inspired.
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) Founded in 1968, MALDEF is the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Our commitment is to protect and defend the rights of all Latinos living in the United States and the constitutional rights of all Americans.
NAACP The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.
National Cares Mentoring Movement The MISSION of the National CARES Mentoring Movement is to secure, heal and transform the lives of impoverished Black children by inspiring, recruiting and mobilizing masses of caring Black men and women to mentor and nourish them. Our national volunteer affiliate network connects adults to local youth-serving organizations. Our national group-mentoring programs focus on the emotional, social and academic development of our children and the wellness of the adults who parent, mentor and educate them.
National Coalition Building Institute The National Coalition Building Institute is an international leadership organization that provides training in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in community organizations, K-12 schools, college and university campuses, corporations and law enforcement.
National Congress of American Indians Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities.
National Diversity Council The National Diversity Council is the first non-profit organization to bring together the private, public and non-profit sectors to discuss the many dimensions and benefits of a multicultural environment. The success of the Texas Diversity Council (established in 2004) served as a catalyst for the National Diversity Council, launched in the fall of 2008. The National Diversity Council is a forerunner of community based, national organizations that champion diversity and inclusion across the country. It is currently made up of state and regional councils, the National Women’s Council, the Council for Corporate Responsibility, and the Healthcare Diversity Council.
One Love Global One Love Global helps people across generations learn about and practice Racial Equity in their lives, work, and communities. Central to this is helping Young Organizers to realize their Political Power and lead. We believe support for young leaders and organizers is essential to their success and to sustain the collective, long-term work of social change for generations to come.
The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB) The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB), is a national and international collective of anti-racist, multicultural community organizers and educators dedicated to building an effective movement for social transformation.
The Race Card Project The Race Card Project encourages people to condense their observations and experiences about race into one sentence with just Six Words. Since it began in 2010, the Project has received tens of thousands of Six Word stories from all over the world. The Race Card Project has earned a deep well of trust on a thorny topic as evidenced by the candor and depth of the submissions.
Race Forward Race Forward catalyzes movement building for racial justice. In partnership with communities, organizations, and sectors, we build strategies to advance racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture.
Race Matters Institute (RMI) RMI helps organizations better achieve their missions through becoming intentional about advancing racial equity in their work.
Race Talks RACE TALKS’ mission is to support interracial and cross-cultural communication and relationships through the development of sensitivity and understanding, and social justice activism supported by educational panels / or films, good food, and great discussions.
Say Their Names Say Their Names is a social movement to raise awareness for all the black victims of racial inequality all around the world.
Search for Common Ground Our mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict, away from adversarial approaches, toward cooperative solutions.
The Sentencing Project Founded in 1986, The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) The SPLC is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.
Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers - Association of American Colleges & Universites AAC&U is partnering with higher education institutions to develop Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers to prepare the next generation of strategic leaders and thinkers to break down racial hierarchies and dismantle the belief in the hierarchy of human value.
UnidosUS Since 1968, UnidosUS—formerly known as NCLR—has remained a trusted, nonpartisan voice for Latinos. We serve the Hispanic community through our research, policy analysis, and state and national advocacy efforts, as well as in our program work in communities nationwide. And we partner with a national network of nearly 300 Affiliates across the country to serve millions of Latinos in the areas of civic engagement, civil rights and immigration, education, workforce and the economy, health, and housing.
Updates: The Fight Against Racial Injustice WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST RACISM IN AMERICA from NPR
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Jettisoning the belief in a hierarchy of human value: Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) is a comprehensive, national and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change, and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

More Resources

Learning With the ‘Black History, Continued’ Series
In this extended lesson plan, students will use this special Times series to deepen, expand and challenge their understanding of Black life, culture and history in America.
Confronting Prejudice: How to Protect Yourself and Help Others
Dealing with prejudice—whether it’s microaggressions, bias, or discrimination—is physically and psychologically demanding. But avoiding it is not always an option. Use this guide from Pepperdine University to understand where prejudice comes from, what it looks like, and how you can help others experiencing it.
Guidance for Reporting and Writing About Racism from Syracuse University
The resource includes guidance for writers when writing and reporting about race and how it can produce a more inclusive report. The article is broken down into five considerations when writing about race and racism, and concludes with additional resources to help readers gain a greater understanding of its contents.

Harry Belafonte and Martin Luther King, Jr. share a good laugh!

Source: “My Song: A Memoir of Art, Race, and Defiance" by Harry Belafonte.

Other Inaugural TRHT Campus Centers

TRHT Campus Centers for 2020

Repairing the Damage Caused by Racism: Thirteen New Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Centers
In January, AAC&U selected twelve of these institutions and one consortium to host Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers, expanding the initial cohort of ten institutions selected in 2017.
Established by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, TRHT is a national, community-based process to engage citizens in racial healing and catalyze efforts to address inequities grounded in notions of a racial hierarchy.

Black Lives Matters Protests in 2020

Interactive map from Social Explorer.

Check These Out

Say It Loud by Catherine Ellis (Editor)
ISBN: 9781595581136
Publication Date: 2010-08-31
Following the success of the path-breaking Say It Plain (New Press, 2007), which documented the great tradition of African American political speech, this new edition adds depth to the oral and audio history of the modern struggle for racial equality. Focusing directly on the pivotal questions black America has grappled with over the past three decades, this essential document features recordings and transcripts from the speeches of Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, Bayard Rustin, Cornel West and Toni Morrison.
The Racial Healing Handbook by Anneliese A. Singh
ISBN: 9781684032709
Publication Date: 2019-08-01
A powerful and practical guide to help you navigate racism, challenge privilege, manage stress and trauma, and begin to heal. Healing from racism is a journey that often involves reliving trauma and experiencing feelings of shame, guilt, and anxiety. This journey can be a bumpy ride, and before we begin healing, we need to gain an understanding of the role history plays in racial/ethnic myths and stereotypes. In so many ways, to heal from racism, you must re-educate yourself and unlearn the processes of racism. This book can help guide you. The Racial Healing Handbook offers practical tools to help you navigate daily and past experiences of racism, challenge internalized negative messages and privileges, and handle feelings of stress and shame. You'll also learn to develop a profound racial consciousness and conscientiousness, and heal from grief and trauma. Most importantly, you'll discover the building blocks to creating a community of healing in a world still filled with racial microaggressions and discrimination. This book is not just about ending racial harm--it is about racial liberation. This journey is one that we must take together. It promises the possibility of moving through this pain and grief to experience the hope, resilience, and freedom that helps you not only self-actualize, but also makes the world a better place.

My President Was Black

A history of the first African American White House—and of what came next Story by Ta-Nehisi Coates published in the January/February 2017 issue of The Atlantic.

ACC Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center: Resources