CONNECT A LETTER FROM THE
EDITOR
2021-2022 CAPTALINES COMMITTEE
t's a delight to be this year's editor of this wonderful magazine. As a mother of two boys, I witness how fast they grow and how quickly time passes. I was an active member of JLA during the height of COVID. I felt honored to work with an organization whose members are committed to an important cause. Our city is changing, and we are changing with it as a community of women dedicated to bettering Austin. Capitalines intends to be one medium through which we do that.
As lockdowns and restrictions are being eased, we all look for insight into the new direction; the new normal in the calm after the storm. Over the next few years, we will see many changes in how we work, communicate, have fun, and, most importantly, how the League commits to providing aid.
EDITOR SUNDIATA CONNOR EDITOR-ELECT BRITNI RACHAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR JILLIAN BLISS DESIGN DIRECTOR
In this issue, we share stories that reflect the values we strive for and the future we hope to build. We discuss the history of JLA, from its humble beginnings as a women's volunteer club, to launching Con Mi MADRE, and the construction of the Community Impact Center. Writers have joined together to share their stories, some uncanny, yet not so strange, to each of us. We also pay tribute to our healthcare heroes, who risked their lives and labored until they were completely exhausted to save as many people as possible. The battle is not yet over, but we have come a long way. As we inspire one another, I think back to one of the poems read at a recent Women’s Fund retreat a few weeks ago that has stuck with me since then, as I, like everyone else, strive to find my voice.
MEGAN NYITRAY
LIFE WHILE-YOU-WAIT
AD SALES DIRECTOR
I know nothing of the role I play. I only know it's mine. I can't exchange it.
SAMANTHA DIAZ SUSTAINING ADVISOR ANDREA LOFYE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LAUREN NEIL-JEFFREY NANCY FUNKHOUSERMCTYRE
You'd be wrong to think that it's just a slapdash quiz taken in makeshift accommodations. Oh no. I'm standing on the set and I see how strong it is. The props are surprisingly precise. The machine rotating the stage has been around even longer. The farthest galaxies have been turned on. Oh no, there's no question, this must be the premiere. And whatever I do will become forever what I've done.
CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS
–– Wislawa Szymborska
ANNA BERNARDO SARAH SMITH
I thank all the League volunteers for their commitment to making Austin a better place.
Sundiata M. Allen Connor Capitalines Editor, 2021-2022 @suninaustin
“Finding passion in the unexpected. Making progress no matter how little.”
