We Fund Belonging, Not Bigotry Campaign
Join the Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity (CTCRE) in raising $75,000 to invest in the people and projects that bring neighbors together, bridge divides, and make belonging a way of life.
Every contribution, however big or small, will help us to reach our goal.
Thank you!
The Beloved Community Campaign:
- Tax deductible
- Provides tools to help our region reduce enduring racial disparities like:
- Wage Earning
- Health
- Education
- Criminal Justice
Join Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity’s movement to create a beloved community (formerly the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequalities).
Membership
For organizations and individuals interested in joining and supporting our efforts.
Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity
Staff
Dr. Kazique J. Prince, Executive Director
Board Members
Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, Chair
Raul Alvarez, Development
Jesse Raney Bridges, At-Large
Pam Benson Owens, At-Large
Tauri Laws-Phillips, At-Large
Chris Hyams, At-Large
Christopher Kennedy, At-Large
Anthony Bookman, At-Large
Sponsors
- Austin Health Commons
Huston Tillotson University - Excellence & Advancement Foundation
- Leadership Austin
- Community Advancement Network
- Austin Community College District
- St. David’s Foundation
- E3 Alliance
- Austin Justice Coalition
- Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities
- City of Austin Equity Office
- Austin Independent School District
- Interfaith Action of Central Texas
- Anti-Defamation League
- Life Anew
- Mission Capital
- One Voice Central Texas
- Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce
- Austin Area Urban League
Task Force Background
In November 2016, Mayor Steve Adler announced the formation of the Task Force on Institutional Racism & Systemic Inequities (IRSI) comprised of several local representatives from business, education, housing, health, and criminal justice to address institutional racism in Austin. The task force members formed five working groups to focus in key areas: Education; Real Estate & Housing; Health; Finance, Banking, & Industry; and Civil & Criminal Justice.
Mayor Adler asked Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, Huston-Tillotson University President, and Dr. Paul Cruz, Austin ISD Superintendent, to lead the effort in collaboration with over 200 community members. Collectively, the task force developed 278 recommendations that would attempt to create transparency in law enforcement, provide funding for housing inequalities, and provide a path to review Austin’s governmental policies that may perpetuate the systemic inequities among many others.
Their mission involved work at three levels—individual, organizational and structural; and they maintain that progress must include a commitment from all other elected officials, along with CEO’s, executive directors, and other inhabitants of the C-Suite and grassroots leadership.
Initially their recommendation is for a commitment to collectively make the personal investment to:
- Engage in personal soul searching;
- Commit to life-long intensive training;
- Learn how to have courageous conversations about race;
- Develop a deeper consciousness and more expansive literacy about the impact of race in personal life;
- Commit to act as agent of change to de-institutionalize racism and eliminate racial disparities in Austin; and
- Build on the work of previous and current courageous activists.
Dr. Pierce Burnette and Dr. Cruz submitted the final report to the full council on April 6, 2017. They have acknowledged that this report is not the end, but rather continuing the community effort. The next phase of building on the great and sacrificial history of work led by many talented others, some of whom contributed to this current report, begins now.
The following is a link to the report presentation to Council, links some to news stories about the task’s force work, and a link to the website that houses the report:
About CTCRE
Our Vision:
Our vision is to establish a beloved community that organizes, inspires, creates, understands, redeems, and reconciles as it builds up and unites people in pursuit of racial equity, racial healing, and transformation.
Our Mission:
Encourage and actively engage a network of partnerships to collectively disrupt and dismantle institutional racism and systemic inequities, address disparities in wealth and access to power, and sustain hope in the central Texas region.
Community Update
Dear Community Members,
Five years ago, many of us came together during one of the most turbulent and transformative moments in Austin’s history. From that shared urgency, we built the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities—work that ultimately evolved into the Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity (CTCRE). Together, we dared to imagine a beloved community built not just on awareness, but on accountability, healing, and belonging.
Today, we are writing to you as we enter a new and inspiring chapter of that journey.
Reclaiming Our Purpose
The world around us has changed dramatically. As our communities continue to grapple with division, misinformation, and fatigue, we remain committed to the same truth that brought us together: belonging is the antidote to bigotry.
That belief grounds our latest initiative—We Fund Belonging, Not Bigotry—a community-powered campaign to invest in hope, connection, and trust. Instead of allowing hate and fear to define our public discourse, we are turning that energy into collective action and innovation.
Through this campaign, we are inviting individuals, organizations, and institutions to fund what brings us together, ensuring that the work of inclusion and healing has sustainable support across Central Texas and beyond.
Tools for Connection: The Djembe App
To make this vision real, CTCRE has partnered to develop the Djembe app—a digital tool designed to help nonprofits, educators, and community organizations cultivate meaningful dialogue, trust, and collaboration.
Inspired by the original Djembe card deck, this new platform will include:
Interactive reflection tools for community and classroom conversations
Facilitator guides and training modules for team development
Trust-building frameworks rooted in the Listening for Belonging model
Data and evaluation tools that help organizations track their growth and social impact
By combining cultural wisdom with modern design, the Djembe app will serve as a bridge—connecting people across difference, fostering empathy, and nurturing environments where every voice is heard.
Building the Future Together
This new phase is about partnership. As we continue to develop these tools, we are actively:
Engaging with educators and nonprofit leaders to pilot Djembe experiences,
Launching small-group listening sessions to ensure community alignment, and
Building a diverse coalition of donors and allies who believe in the power of belonging.
We invite you to stand with us once again—to fund belonging, to invest in connection, and to recommit to the vision of a beloved community that bends toward justice.
As we reflect on the work ahead, we are reminded that justice, like community, is a living practice. It requires constant tending, honest reflection, and courageous imagination.
Let us continue to be those who listen for belonging—who build bridges even when it’s hard, who lead with love even when it’s unpopular, and who believe, still, that transformation begins with us.
Together, we can turn this vision into movement.
With gratitude and renewed commitment,
The CTCRE Team
Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity
www.ctcracialequity.org
When the history of our times is written, will we be remembered as the generation that turned our backs in a moment of a global crisis, or will it be recorded that we did the right thing?
How are you working to eliminate institutional racism and systemic inequities?
We would love to hear your feedback, questions, thoughts, or concerns.
Please email them to Kazique Prince at
Thank you again for your ongoing commitment!
We look forward to continuing to co-labor with you building a beloved community together.