Anyone who questions the longstanding impacts of systemic racism needs to look no further than the 1928 Master Plan for an example of the devastation wrought by such practices. The plan established a six-square-mile “Negro District” in East Austin, and subsequently cut off infrastructure to existing Black communities outside of that area. Combined with real estate redlining—a practice in which banks refused home loans to Black applicants in certain neighborhoods—the 1928 Master Plan forced the relocation of thousands of Black citizens to East Austin, where they faced flooding, substandard housing, and poor access to schools and public services. The negative ramifications of this policy have continued well into the 21st century: a 2015 study found that the Austin metropolitan area had the highest level of economic segregation among all 350 U.S. metropolitan areas.

Despite these structural challenges, Austin’s Black community continued to thrive, as evidenced by historical places like Huston-Tillotson University, Downs Field, and Wesley United Methodist Church. Particularly inspiring are the works of Donna Carter, who is the first licensed Black female architect in Austin, as well as John S. Chase—the first licensed Black architect in the American South—who left an impressive architectural legacy in homes and churches across East Austin.