Sue Spears-Martin is a native Austinite and veteran community organizer. Sue has been involved with Bethany Cemetery, the city’s first cemetery exclusively for African Americans, since the 1990s. Since then she has been dedicated to safeguarding the site’s rich heritage through preservation and community engagement.

Women have played a pivotal role in shaping the vibrant Austin we know today. These remarkable advocates, often working behind the scenes, laid the foundation for the city’s growth and cultural diversity through their dedication to education, community service, and social justice. One such woman was “Grandma” Camacho.

The Herrera sisters, Consuelo and Mary Grace, left an indelible mark on Austin’s educational landscape. As pioneering Mexican American educators, they contributed to bilingual education in the city and advocated tirelessly for their students. Their work not only transformed the learning experience for countless children; it also demonstrated the profound impact that dedicated educators can have on their communities.

Preservation Austin is thrilled to announce that Austin City Council voted to designate the Whitehall Cooperative Building as a City of Austin Landmark at their October 9 meeting. The cooperative residence, located on Nueces Street in West Campus, is a rare landmark of women’s history and one of Texas’s oldest housing co-ops.

In Austin’s West Campus area — characterized today by towering apartment buildings, huge window panes, bright signs, and a boisterous population of 15,000 students — a medium-sized house known as Whitehall Cooperative sits as a haven of affordable housing for its residents.

In the far reaches of Austin, off the winding roads leading to Volente, sits a sacred meeting space. Sacred in both intention and practice, Alma de Mujer exists as a sanctuary for lesbians, Indigenous women, and marginalized communities.

Nestled within the vibrant Red River Cultural District in Austin, Texas, the address at 900 Red River Street holds a rich tapestry of LGBTQ+ history, resilience, and community spirit.

The Chicana struggle during the Economy Furniture Strike represents the larger aspirations of economic justice in the East Austin community, and the challenge of all working-class women in Labor movements. Through the difficult experiences of these women, activists of today can find hope in the resolve of Chicanas at Economy Furniture to radically advocate for a better relationship to their labor.