- Coming up on Austin InSight.

The efforts to preserve a historic Black cemetery, plus the sweeping saga of Austin's local curling club.

Austin InSight starts now.

- [Announcer] Support for Austin InSight comes from Sally and James Gavin, and also from Daniel L. Skret.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - Hi there, and thanks for joining us.

I'm Laura Laughead.

We're starting today's episode focused on Black History Month.

First, some historical context.

Before a 1948 US Supreme Court decision banned racial discrimination and land use covenants, segregation was so entrenched in Texas and across the American South that it occurred in life and even extended in death.

That is, cemeteries were commonly separated by race.

In recent weeks, Austin officials have taken steps to honor the historic significance of one East Austin Cemetery where Black Austinites are buried, Bethany Cemetery.

Our local government reporter, Sam Stark, is here with more on those efforts.

Sam, the cemetery was abandoned for years.

How was it ultimately rediscovered?

- So, Laura, a neighborhood mom gets credit for finding it and then leading the effort to save it after it was forgotten for decades.

It is thought to be Austin's oldest Black cemetery, an example of what's been called cradle to grave segregation.

And now Bethany Cemetery is on its way to permanent preservation.

(sentimental music) Sue Spears walks me across the Bethany Cemetery grounds.

- She was enslaved and she had three kids by her enslaver.

- [Sam] Passionate about keeping the stories of some of Austin's first Black residents alive.

- These stories need to be preserved.

- [Sam] Sue Spears is the president of the Bethany Cemetery Association.

A lifelong Austinite, she had no idea of the rich history beneath the cemetery surface until she was confronted with it as an adult.

In the 1990s, the cemetery was an overgrown lot of shrubs and trees.

It sat across the street from her children's school.

- Being on the PTA, there was some safety concerns that the children were walking through the trail to get to the neighborhoods.

- [Sam] Spears started researching who owned the property.

- That's when we came across that it was actually, you know, a historical cemetery.

(sentimental music) - [Sam] Bethany Cemetery is the resting place for dozens of historic Austinites, many of whom were enslaved during their lifetimes.

(sentimental music) It opened in the 1800s after a small portion of land designated for Black people at the Oakwood Cemetery filled up.

More than 20 years after Spears rediscovered it (sentimental music) cemetery is unrecognizable.

- It's been a really long road.

It was a lot of bringing different groups in the community together to help with cleanups.

- [Sam] Spears has worked tirelessly to make Bethany's historical significance known across the community.

Still, it lacks a key designation that would protect it from development.

Historically, a large share of Austin's Black residents lived in East Austin, but rapid development and gentrification have pushed many out.

- Our history in this area is slowly being erased, and so it is vital that we protect the stories and we protect the history of, you know, the foundation of East Austin.

- [Sam] The Bethany Cemetery is moving toward a historic landmark status, a change that would alter its zoning and help preserve the site's historic integrity.

In practical terms, it would put guardrails in place to protect the cemetery from development even as developers plan new construction around the property.

- The moment that we understood that this cemetery needed the assistance to protect the history of these people, I think the city of Austin could have moved quicker.

- [Sam] Javier Wallace grew up near the cemetery without realizing its significance.

While founding his company, Black Austin Tours, he discovered his ties to the space ran far deeper than he knew.

- My third great grandparents are buried in Bethany Cemetery, the Crenshaw family, and the Callaghan family, formerly enslaved people.

There's just so much that we have there, and people have to know their story.

- [Sam] Wallace laments that Bethany was largely forgotten even as other historic cemeteries in Austin received sustained investment over the years.

- For me, it's such an empowering space because I know that those individuals who are more than likely born into enslavement, that they survived that institution.

- I think it's important because it will allow me to and the other people that live in Austin, to know how significant the African American community once was here in Austin and that it's not forgotten.

(sentimental music) - And Laura, the planning commission approved that historic zoning last week.

The next step is a vote by the Austin City Council.

- It kinda makes you wonder if there are any other sites like this that have yet to be rediscovered too.

- Definitely.

- Well, Sam, thank you so much for your reporting.

(upbeat music) As we continue our focus on Black History, we wanna highlight a local media outlet that has earned a prominent place in that history.

- KAZI 88.7.

The voice of Austin.

- KAZI Radio has served Austin's Black community since 1982 with a variety of shows and content.

Every genre of music, from reggae to R&B, to soul and more.

Plus community news and conversations speaking to issues that uniquely impact the Black community.

For more on the historic importance of KAZI and the station's future, we spoke with two people who've been involved with the station for decades.

Marion Nickerson, who has served as general manager, and Linda Lewis, a familiar voice and legendary host.

Thank you so much to both of you for being with us today.

- Thank you for having us.

- Thank you for having us.

- Absolutely.

And we'll talk about the history in the early days in just a moment, but first I wanna get your thoughts.

With so many media options these days, online, devices, screens, podcasts, you name it, why do you think old fashioned broadcast radio is still alive and well?

- I think because of the way we live now, it's immediate, it's portable, and you can have radio in your cars, you're commuting to work.

You can have it on your phone.

You can have it just about anywhere, in the park as you're walking your dog or taking your morning exercise.

And it is the way that we get information.

There are studies that say that people who listen to radio have higher IQs.

- Oh.

- I totally agree.

I think the accessibility of radio is key from all the platforms that we use now.

And we can reach all audiences and it's not even generational.

Everyone can use a phone.

Everybody can use a screen, so.

- Absolutely, it's accessible to everyone.

You got a car, you're going somewhere, you can turn on the radio.

And there really is a nostalgia factor here too.

People are returning to older media, they're returning to tangible books and magazines, and now the radio too.

But the mainstream media, though, historically, has a mixed record when it comes to representing the Black community in America.

What gaps has KAZI filled over the years?

- Well, I think the main thing that KAZI has done over the years is we are the authors of our stories.

We're the authors of our history.

And we must continue, especially in these times, to tell our own stories and sing our own songs.

We seem to have retreated in terms of race relations in America today.

And it's really difficult with technology.

If we don't have people who look like us are the ones that are telling the stories, the ones that are doing the editing, the ones that are producing what it is to be an African descendant in America and in the diaspora.

- Why was the station started and what was it like in those early days?

- The station generated from Black voters against paternalism.

Dr.

John Warfield came to UT as a tenured professor.

And in the '70s because there was, quote, "affirmative action," we saw people who looked like us on national TV, but there was none in Austin.

And there were students who were female, Black or Latino, who were getting communications degrees at all of our fine institutions, whether that was journalism or radio, television, film.

And there was no place for them to intern or get the practical experience from their college degrees to being on the air.

So, I think the generation, the genesis was that there are all this talent that was not getting hired after investing in the education.

So there were students from colleges all around town, and a lot of them were John Warfield's students.

- We've had so many great people to come through with the same mission.

The same mission and that's to speak truth to power.

I'm from a smaller town in the panhandle where media was pretty much void for everyone.

But when I moved here, you know, finding KAZI was kind of a godsend for me.

One of the first things I did as a volunteer is start working with the youth.

They had it was called the Teen Scene.

And getting those youth to express themselves and come out of the shells that was, just made me happy and to this day, I still enjoyed doing that.

- Yes, we had students from elementary through high school- - Yeah.

- Who had their own show.

- Did you really?

- From the beginning.

- Oh, I bet those were some pretty entertaining shows.

- Teen Scene from the beginning.

- They had a radio show and I think during that same time, Austin Community Access Television was founded and they had their own television dance show called "Jam City."

- Yes.

- It's been a trajectory point for so many amazing people.

And growing up in the panhandle, you know like in a news desert to, you know, a news town like this, the importance that radio stations and media like yours play.

And we also wanna know, for those that don't know, you guys are actually our neighbors.

Last June, the station moved into our building here.

So we're neighbors, Austin PBS, and KAZI on ACC's Highland Campus.

We've certainly loved our new studio here, our new state of the art equipment.

But how has the new place impacted your work and what's on tap for the future too?

- Oh my God.

We started out in maybe two rooms in a little strip mall here in Austin.

And the first time I came to the new studios, I think I cried for a week.

- Wow.

- Because it was better than a dream that we had of where the station would be.

And when I tell people that this is a broadcast entity that has not only survived but thrived for, you know, on the air going on 44 years, the entity is 50 years old and we are still thriving because it belongs to the community.

There's no one owner or controller.

- We always bring in new volunteers, new people, new ideas.

Those new ideas are always embraced and we, you know, we put them in action.

Everyone is a volunteer.

So most of the time and all the time now is everyone is real passionate about making a difference for the community.

- That is really special, especially nowadays when we're seeing the evolution of the media landscape before our eyes, being community owned and oriented is really a rare thing and I think people appreciate that more than ever.

Well, KAZI, we love you as our neighbors, but you're a community treasure and we wanna wish you all much continued success.

Thank you so much to the both of you for joining us today.

- Thank you for having us.

- Thank you for having me.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) - Austin's craft beer scene is important to the city's reputation as a cool and vibrant place to be.

But it's not known for being diverse.

According to the National Black Brewers Association, less than 1% of all breweries in the US are Black-owned.

We wanna introduce you to someone who's trying to change that while also making good beer.

Here we have Shannon Harris, also known as The Brew Brother to his followers on Instagram.

Shannon, thanks so much for being here.

- Thank you for having me.

- So Shannon, we mentioned the statistic from the National Black Brewers Association, and you yourself have described the local craft beer scene as, quote, "white male-dominated industry."

Why is it important to you to try to help change that?

- It's very important to change it for me because diversity is key.

There's inclusion, there's equity, there's a lot of change that can happen in craft beer.

And it's not intentional that, you know, there's not more representation of color here.

It's just the opportunities out there wasn't always presented to people who look like me.

So the things that I would like to do is, one, if I am able to open up Urban Jungle Brewery, it'll be the first Black-owned brewery here in Austin.

And I think in the state of Texas, there's really just a handful of like, maybe you can count on one hand, of how many Black-owned brewers are out here.

But it's just given the opportunity to people of color, people that look like me to say, "Hey, we want to have good beer.

We want a safe place to hang out."

And then create an incubation program that gives a platform for other people or minorities to have somewhere where they can showcase their music, they can learn how to brew beer, they can get introduced to different ingredients and all of that that's in this industry.

So it's very important to me to have that representation.

- So you came to Austin several years ago from Los Angeles with the goal of opening a brewery, but your work has now evolved into this series of collaborations with some of the best local craft brewers like Brewtorium and others.

Can you explain how that works?

- Yes, of course.

I mean, yeah, coming from LA to Austin has been pretty much heartwhelming.

Everybody's been so welcoming of me coming here.

And I brought a lot of expertise in craft beer because I have been a gypsy brewer prior to that.

And I was a home brewer prior to that.

But I mean, I brewed beer all over the world.

I've been all across America.

I brewed beer in Africa, Brazil, Costa Rica, and even Canada.

So being able to bring all of that knowledge in craft beer and brewing into my own world and brew it myself has been absolutely amazing.

And then all of the breweries that I know here in Austin has been great.

They let me brew on their equipment.

They obviously let me do collaborations, and they also let me do big release parties as well from their platforms.

So I'm really, really grateful of the Austin craft beer scene.

It is definitely home for me right now.

- And why is that so important to you to place such an emphasis on connecting with the community and what are you hoping to achieve through that?

- You know, I'm part of the community.

I know how it is to walk into rooms and being underrepresented and not having a big voice or being, you know, shined upon or anything like that.

So if I can do it in any creative aspect that I have a talent in, which is craft beer, then let me figure out a way to do that.

So usually when I do these beer releases, one, I get with another brewery that already has a platform, a brewery somewhere where we can host a release event.

And when that beer is ready, we'll have a big event release where there's DJs and then we use a minority musicians or DJs to where they now have a platform, you know, they never been able to spin their music or perform at a brewery or on a stage somewhere but now you can at this beer release.

We also do a popup market that also allows people of color who are selling goods and also creatives in their own way to pop up and sell all of their products who do not have a brick and mortar as well.

And then it's always family-friendly.

So we allow kids, we have things to go for that, we're pet friendly as well.

But I really wanna appreciate all the breweries who do collaborate with me as well, because also they're donating a portion of their proceeds to these organizations as well.

And then it just gives a platform for those organizations.

So if we're donating to, we donated to DAWA, we donated to Austin Color, you know, Austin Coalition, you know, Justice Coalition, just to name a few.

And we bring them out as well too so they can help spread their word onto the people who are just in community and drinking beer.

So I love to just help represent people that look just like me.

- And what's the status of your own brewery?

What's the status of Urban Jungle?

- Well, you know, Urban Jungle is definitely still in the works.

It costs a lot of money to open up a brewery these days.

- I can imagine.

I have no idea like that, I'm sure it's so much.

- Yeah, it's a lot.

You know, I wish I would've thought about it more and went in about it, but we did raise some capital.

I do have some investors on the side, but we're just still like, you know, pennies in a bucket of what we really need.

So in the meantime, you know, again, creating these relationships and partnerships with these other breweries here in Austin and across the United States, I'm able to go out and brew my beer and still distribute it out there to try to make some money.

I donate most of it.

Yes, I know that's probably biting me in the butt a little bit.

But again, you know, it's what I'm passionate about.

- But you're giving back to the community.

- Yeah.

- It's more than just a business to you.

- Exactly.

- It's a movement.

And speaking of, where do you see the local beer industry moving in the future?

- You know what, craft beer is a rollercoaster.

We have good years, we have bad years, especially in January when people are going dry for the month.

- Yeah, I bet you don't like dry season.

- We don't.

None of us do.

But you know, we try to figure out ways to pivot.

You know, there's seltzers, there's mocktails, there's non-alcoholic craft beers now.

But I think the future for craft beer is super bright.

There's so many more ingredients out there that people can experiment with that we can tailor to to introduce new beer drinkers that are coming in to wanting to have it.

Like, I mean, one of my best beers is like my sweet potato pie brown ale.

- Oh, I would try that one.

- Yeah.

It's a recipe from my grandma.

I literally incorporate it into a beer and then it still gives you like that nostalgic feel as well too.

But I think the future is bright for craft beer, especially here in Austin.

I mean, this is such a booming city.

- Oh yeah.

- And there's breweries galore out here, so.

- You always have customers here.

- Yeah, so I think we'll be good in this city for sure.

- And can you tell us what do you have here with us today?

- Yeah, so this is a recent collaboration with the brewery Brewtorium.

They're really good friends of mine.

They're right across the way from here.

This is a honey rye lager, so it's only 4.8% alcohol and we used Texas wildflower honey and rye malt.

So you get a little bit of spiciness from that rye malt, but that sweetness on the back end from that honey.

And it's just a well perfect blend of a light lager.

Really, really fun beer.

It's actually part of a collaboration series where I do donate the money called As One.

And the reason that that is called As One, I partnered with my brother in brew, his name is Marvis Dixon, AKA, The Middleman.

But we started this initiative, it's a olive branch or an extension from a prior initiative called Black Is Beautiful that started here in Texas with Marcus Baskerville, which went global and wide or worldwide.

So this is an extension As One is like how do we as a community in beer collaborate as one to bring people who don't usually drink beer in the breweries, but also bring our community out to where they can drink beer and also shine on their own.

Because as one, that's all we are is a community of people that's just trying to make it out here.

So this is just one of those.

So we've done as ones with many other breweries, St.

Elmo, Meanwhile.

Got some coming up in the future, with Hold Out Brewing is our next release.

So yeah, this is one of those collaboration beers.

- So it's good beer for a good cause.

- Yes ma'am.

- What's not to love?

And you know what, even as not a big beer drinker myself, I look forward to one day drinking a beer- - Awesome.

- At Urban Jungle when it happens.

- That would be amazing.

We would love to have you out.

- Shannon, thank you so much.

We wish you the best of luck and thank you for sharing your story and your insights on the local craft beer industry.

- Really appreciate it.

(upbeat music) - Before we go, with the Winter Olympics underway, we spent some time exploring one of the quirkier but popular competitive events, curling.

You might be surprised to learn that the sport enjoys support from a passionate group of Austinites and they put me to the test.

Here's a look at the Lone Star Curling Club.

- [Announcer] Final showcasing the two most talked about prospects in the world, Canada Shane Hollander.

- Shane Hollander.

I wanted to introduce myself.

- It's not hockey.

- Okay.

- And it's not figure skating.

- [Character] This is the biggest competition of my life.

- [Laura] This year, an unexpected winter sport may finally be brushing aside the competition.

- [Announcer] The US, for the first time, have defeated Canada.

- [Laura] without an ice skate in sight.

- Slide back and then slide out.

(curling stone grating) - [Laura] We're talking about curling.

- Piece of cake.

- Ah-ha.

Hey Morganne, if I fall, I'm gonna need you to edit this out.

- I watched the USA men's 2018 gold medal run and so out of curiosity, I Googled, I wonder if there's curling in Austin, Texas.

And in fact, there was.

I absolutely fell in love with it.

- [Laura] In a town where snow is a new story, Austin's Lone Star Curling Club is celebrating 20 years.

They're hoping this year's Olympics will sweep up a new set of fans.

- The last winter Olympics, we went from about 80 full-time members to 160 in that year.

- [Laura] It might seem easy, but it's much harder than you think.

- Curling is most often kind of described as chess on ice.

- [Laura] The two teams of four take turns sliding 42-pound granite stones from one end to the target or the house.

The ice is textured so it's less slippery.

And you wear a gripper or slider on your shoe to control your movement.

They sweep to slightly melt the ice to make the stone travel farther.

- Similar if you've ever played shuffleboard and you put the sand on the board, without the sand, the puck just kinda glides.

- [Laura] Speaking of getting swept off your feet, this curling couple found love on the ice.

- We just got married November 21st.

Three of the girls I curl with were bridesmaids in our wedding.

- There are a couple terms we use and you hear people yelling as the games are played because there's about 150 feet between us and lots of games going on.

And I had to reflect a moment the first time I shouted clean or sweep to my new future bride.

- My own curling curiosity now piqued.

Oh.

- Really good.

- I got the crash course.

Ooh, oh my god.

Emphasis on the crash.

No one saw that.

Wow.

You're like a gazelle.

I feel like I'm more like a walrus.

But with some practice.

(quirky music) (curling stone grating) - [Instructor] Let go of the rock.

There you go.

Progress.

Oh my gosh, I'm so nervous.

(quirky music) (curling stone grating) - [Instructor] Really good.

- She's going.

Look at her, she's going.

Would that have scored?

- Step off.

- Would I have scored with that one?

- Maybe.

Yeah.

- Okay, maybe.

We'll take it.

We'll take it.

So, I probably won't be going to the Olympics, but it's a lot of fun.

Just ask these folks also trying curling as part of an office activity.

- This is one of those sports where you're always like, you know what, you watch it on TV every four years and you're like, boy, that looks like a lot of fun.

I bet I could be good at it.

Which I'm very quickly realizing that I'm not.

- [Participant] I didn't think there was this much strategy, like my knees already hurt, my hips.

I'm like, oh my gosh.

And I didn't realize how heavy the stone was, and all of the rules.

The club says anyone from seven to 70 can curl, even if you use a walker or a wheelchair.

All you need is some tennis shoes and some curling comradery.

- [Lindsey] For me, curling is community.

- There's a tradition in curling called broom stacking where the winning team will sit down with the losing team and buy the first round.

So it really doesn't matter where you are in experience, where you are at athletic level, the game is really, really accessible to anyone.

If you're not able to glide out like a swan like you see in the Olympics, there are plenty of other ways to make this game something you can take part of.

- And you guys should have seen all the times that I fell that weren't caught on camera.

I gotta give so much respect to curlers.

It's way harder than it looks, but it is so much fun.

The Winter Olympics goes until February 22nd and the Paralympics featuring curling opens on March 6th.

That's our show.

Thanks so much for watching.

Watch full episodes of Austin InSight in the PBS app or catch up on our stories on the Austin PBS YouTube channel.

We'll see you next time.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] Support for Austin InSight comes from Sally and James Gavin and also from Daniel L. Skret.

(playful flute music)