The Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity (CTCRE) is honored to adopt the regional vision to disrupt and dismantle institutional racism and pursue racial equity, healing and transformation in the Central Texas region. Formerly the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism & Systemic Inequities, the nonprofit association has been formed as one of the highest priorities of the task force to continue the decades long effort to reverse the tide of racial and systemic injustice across the region.
Austin continues to serve as highly ranked for jobs and small businesses.The Greater Austin metropolitan area has consistently been ranked one of the best places to live in the United States according to US News & World Report. Austin’s reputation for supporting and attracting the best talent and being an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and business likely contributed to heavyweight tech companies recently moving their headquarters to Austin. The violet crown city also has the reputation for being a tech city, pet- and recreation-friendly, place for veterans, and dating among others.
In contrast, Austin has also been identified as the most economically segregated with the only shrinking African American population for a large urban city. During the pandemic, Austin experiences significant racial disparities in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths throughout 2020, which is in direct relation to racial disparities in health, education, and income. These contrasts speak to the limited prosperity and opportunity experienced for many communities of color.
Background. After the shooting death of David Joseph, a 17-year-old African American youth in 2016, community activists spoke out against police violence and demanded law enforcement reform in our region. Along with police reform, Austin Mayor Steve Adler understood the need for a comprehensive approach to confront the legacy of racism as a critical predictor of disparities in health, quality of life, opportunity, education, and access for generations. Initially, Mayor Adler invited Huston-Tillotson University President, Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, and then Austin ISD Superintendent, Dr. Paul Cruz to co-chair the Task Force on Institutional Racism & Systemic Inequities (IRSI) to recommend strategies to dismantle systemic racism and inequities. In the years since, hundreds of people collaborated to identify and prioritize 278 recommendations in education, health and wellness, criminal and civil justice, real estate and housing, and finance and banking. One of the recommendations focused on the formation of the Central Texas Collaborative for Racial Equity (CTCRE), a nonprofit association created to continue the work beyond the initial set of identified strategies.
More recently, the horrific murder of George Floyd and the shooting death of Mike Ramos have refocused our attention on the legacy of institutional racism. Out of these troubling experiences, the new CTCRE is celebrating and exploring community-based ideas to be implemented right here in Central Texas. Ideas include creating an Action Center for Educational Equity & Racial Justice and Center for Financial Empowerment, adopting a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach, increasing affordable housing in high opportunity areas, and implementing comprehensive policing reform measures. The Collective is also uniquely positioned to engage community leaders in the ongoing dialogue about atonement, reconciliation, and reparations for racial injustice as it is directly related to our commitment to truth, racial healing, and transformation.
After nearly four years, we continue to build on the work of community leaders and the Task Force members for a beloved, more transformational and inclusive community. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspires us: “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” Part of the goal involves cementing our involvement in the national racial equity dialogue as well as strengthen our regional commitment, unite people, offer credible solutions, and instigate lasting change.
Please join us to build a peaceful, just, equitable, and thriving beloved community. Become a corporate investor with your contribution to the Beloved Community Campaign through a corporate, organizational, or individual tax-deductible contribution. Please review the sponsorship levels and make your commitment today!
The Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity would like to honor our community investors, corporate partners and sponsors, for their support in fulfilling the Collective’s mission. We work together with you and/or your company to create a customized package to suit your sponsorship needs. Talk to us about Sponsorships that fit your brand identity. For more information on corporate investment opportunities, contact us. We look forward to helping you support racial equity, healing, and transformation in your community and business!