The Austin History Center invites you to the opening reception for Taking it to the Streets: A Visual History of Protest and Demonstration in Austin. Diverse images from a variety of Austin History Center collections highlight Austin residents in their earnest efforts to create social change in their communities, spanning across human rights movements, environmental justice, inequity, academic freedom, and the impact of war. The reception is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served. The exhibit runs July 31-Oct. 28 in the David Earl Holt Photo Gallery. 

Austin has a long history of mobilization and direct action. From mass marches in support of academic freedom during the Rainey controversy in the 1940s to student walkouts opposing gun violence in 2018, protests intersect race, class, and gender identity and are a mark of U.S. democracy. They are timeless because they are an inherent part of the human experience.

With more mass movements globally in this decade than any decade since 1900, this exhibit grounds our communities in our shared history and reflects a legacy of Austin’s social movement organizing. The variety of decades and movements depicted are meant to inspire conversation about the city’s collective memory, times past, current events, and the future of Austin, the United States, and the world.

To participate in the exhibit’s interactive component, please upload your own images of direct action to our website! 
http://library.austintexas.gov/ahc/taking-it-to-the-streets

Photo: Texas Farmworkers Union Rally, 1980 [AR.2000.016(91)] Photo by Scott Van Osdol.

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