Funmi Ogunro - Austin Black Freedom Communities

Austin Black Freedom Communities chronicles the history of the Black community in Austin, Texas beginning in the 19th century. The documentary includes the history of Texas slavery, plantations, and the development and life of freedom communities. There were over 15 freedom communities located within the city of Austin and Travis County after the end of the American Civil War. Austin Black Freedom Communities paints a picture of what life was like for formally enslaved Black Americans after Emancipation, with the central theme of the documentary being resilience. These stories will be explored through interviews with historians, archaeologists, authors, researchers, and the descendants of the freedmen. The documentary will also touch on how Freedman communities thrived and were ultimately disbanded by the Austin Master Plan of 1928. These plans, although efficient for distributing city services, perpetuated the ideals of Jim Crow placated by the 1896 ruling in Plessy vs. Ferguson and consolidated African Americans into present-day East Austin.