TODO Austin January 2016

www.todoaustin.com Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Volume VII / JAN 2016

George C. Thomas To Do MĂşsica Bill W. and Dr. Bob MLK Celebration

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS broadcast 18.1 cable 9 klru.org

KLRU presents NEW EPISODES OF YOUR FAVORITE PBS SHOWS!

SHERLOCK

DOWNTON ABBEY

Jan. 1 at 8 pm; Jan. 10 at 9 pm; Jan. 14, at 9 pm; Jan. 16 at 9 pm

Sundays at 8 pm with an encore Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 7 pm

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman return as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the acclaimed modern retelling of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic stories.

But now, our heroes find themselves in 1890s London.

(except Jan. 10, that week’s encore will start at 6:30 pm) Extortion and downsizing threaten Downton Abbey. Change is afoot for your favorite characters. All of this and much more on the final season of Downton Abbey!

THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE

Also This Month

Austin City Limits

This month the legendary music show features Alabama Shakes, Vintage Trouble, Kendrick Lamar, Ryan Adams, Shakey Graves, Angelique Kidjo, Sleater-Kinney and Heartless Bastards.

Saturdays at 7 pm; Wednesdays at 10 pm and Fridays at 10 pm

FINAL SEASON

Get the complete list at klru.org

Independent Lens Pop Up: In Football We Trust

Civic Summit Stop the Drop: Engaging Students in Their Futures

Preview screening of this documentary that offers an insightful and moving film exploring in rich detail the remarkable story behind the Polynesian Pipeline to the NFL.

This townhall discussion of students and educators explores why some youth drop out of school. Part of KLRU’s American Graduate Initiative.

Tuesday, Jan. 5, at 7 pm at the Windsor Park Branch Library

Thursday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 pm

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS is community supported. More than 85% of our funding comes from the public. Please consider investing in KLRU.

C E N T R O U R B A N O HABLA Austin

Helping Homeless Veterans Mayor Steve Adler announced in December that Austin Apartment Association and the Ann Howardled Ending Community Homelessness Coalition Austin, helped lead a push to find housing for 200 homeless veterans last year. “Along the way, we created a new way to attack this problem and eliminated the waiting list for homeless veterans to get help. Great cities do big things, and this is a very, very big thing,” said Adler.

Black Lives Matter Austin Black Lives Matter Austin’s first general body meeting of 2016 will take place Jan. 12 at Carver Library, 1161 Angelina St., at 6:30 p.m. There are seven different working groups focusing on addressing disparities in education, health including environmentalism, criminal justice including prisons and jails, housing, poverty, employment, transportation, etc.

Grants for artists of color Artists of color are invited to learn about grant and employment opportunities at Creative Connections, a networking and communitybuilding event. Presented by MindPop, AISD and the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division and the Parks Department’s Museums and Cultural Programs Division. Wednesday, Jan. 13, 6 p.m. at the Asian American Resource Center. Free.

Leng Wong co-hosts Creative Connections

Austin leads way in LGBT equality Austin scored highest among Texas cities for the

Delivering diversity in media to Austin

third straight year in the Human Rights Campaign’s fourth annual Municipal Equality Index which is the only known national rating system of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusion.

Uniting a community

Economic Forecast 2016-2017 The Long Center presents the 2016-2017 Economic Forecast with local economist Angelos Angelou and Keynote Speaker John E. Silvia, Chief Economist with Wells Fargo, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 7 a.m. in Dell Hall. This is the first of what will be an annual event.

By Gavin Lance Garcia

Minority-owned business workshop The Asian American Resource Center hosts GAACC Connect Forum on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 1:30 p.m.

The MBE Certification Workshop is designed for small businesses owned, managed, and controlled by minorities and/or women who wish to work in local, state, and federal government contracting.

A roundtable networking with public agencies and businesses seeking to work with minority businesses runs 3-5 p.m. Free with registration online.

Lamar Beach Master Plan The Austin Parks and Recreation Department will host its third public meeting for the Lamar Beach Master Plan, on Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 6:30– 8:30 p.m. in Austin High School Cafeteria, located at 1715 W. Cesar Chavez Street.

Municipal Civil Service Commission The Austin City Council seeks applicants to serve on the five-member Municipal Civil Service Commission. The openings are for one unexpired term that will run from Feb. 2016 and two full threeyear terms that will run from May 2016. The MSC Commission presently sits as the ruling body on appeals of disciplinary actions by certain City of Austin employees.

WaterWise to save money Winter is a great time to plan for spring and summer landscaping. Applications are being accepted now through March 31, 2016 for WaterWise Rainscape and WaterWise Landscape rebates. Homeowners and schools may receive up to $500 for installing rainscapes. Austin Water customers that replace healthy grass with native plant beds and permeable hardscapes may be eligible for up to $1,750 in rebates.

Volume VII, Number 9

for more than five years, TODO Austin

PUBLISHER/EDITOR // Gavin Lance Garcia gavin@ todoaustin.com

printed journal, and TODOAustin.

ART DIRECTOR // Dave McClinton dmdesigninc.com

com offer news, opinion, cultural

MANAGING EDITORS // Meredith C. Cox, Alejandra Cueva, Katie Walsh, Erica Stall Wiggins

arts and lifestyle stories written

ASSOCIATE EDITORS // Sonia Kotecha, Liz Lopez, Monica Peña, Genoveva Rodriguez, Yvonne Lim Wilson

by, about, and for all ethnic communities in multicultural Austin.

CONTRIBUTING STAFF // Cat Cardenas, Evelyn C. Castillo, Alexandra M. Landeros, Callie Langford, Vanessa Maldonado, Diana Sanchez, Blake Shanley, Lesley Varghese

organizations we supported carefully and built editorial guidelines around that.

This month, many among the South Asian community will reflect on their homeland on Republic Day, a date commemorating the creation of the Constitution of India in 1950.

That achievement followed the nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience campaigns guided by Mahatma Gandhi that led to India’s independence.

Likewise, January is a time when Americans’ consider the remarkable life of Martin Luther King, Jr. (who took inspiration from Gandhi’s success) and observe the birthday of the civil rights leader with a federal holiday. Austin’s MLK Day celebration has seen an increase in participation for years—people from every walk of life and ethnic background march in solidarity—no doubt a positive sign of where the city is headed.

Watching Austin’s South Asian demographic grow and flourish over the past decade has been satisfying, particularly because it has brought to the fore the spirit of Gandhi. So it’s with great admiration that we feature Republic Day and the Great Soul on the cover of TODO Austin this month.

I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Les Kurtz, one of the preeminent Gandhi scholars in the world, a short time before TODO Austin launched. I learned to appreciate how Gandhi used mass communication, publishing several papers in his lifetime, to spread his ideology of peaceful social change and unite the community.

A journal was the spark, as it has been many times throughout history, for revolution.

This paper was created eight years ago by graphic designer Dave McClinton and myself after some deliberation on its focus: social change. We hoped that TODO Austin would serve in some small way as a vehicle for advocacy in the city.

Since that time, we’ve picked our causes and PRODUCTION SERVICES // Anthony Garcia CONTRIBUTORS // Alka Bhanot, Roy Casagranda, Cindy Casares, Jimi Calhoun, Lobo Corona, Nora De LaRosa, Rebecca Gomez, Rose Di Grazia, Laura Donnelly Gonzalez, Mark Guerra, Mari Hernandez, Robert Heyman, Yadira Izquierdo, Chaille Jolink, Ryan Jordan, Ali Khataw, Ramey Ko, Harish Kotecha, Liam Kozma, Julia Lee, Esteban Lopez, Otis Lopez, David Marks, Cristina Parker, Raul Rangel Uribe, Jim Rigby, Paul Saldaña, Marion Sanchez, Sameer Shaw, Dani Slabaugh, Jeremi Suri, Corey Tabor, Sergio Tristan, Blanca Valencia, Juanita Valdez-Cox, Debora Kuetzpal Vasquez, Tara Veneruso WEB DESIGN // TODOAustin.com COVER // IACT Republic Day

MLK with Gandhi portrait

In some ways, Gandhi’s reliance on the power of the printed word reminded me of the ideology driving local community newspapers and alternative press. The founders of the Austin Chronicle, as I recall from my youth in the 1980s, were idealists who had the courage and talent to help build Austin’s identity. I still see traces of Gandhi’s and MLK’s principles in its pages and believe that’s chiefly due to the influence of publisher Nick Barbaro and editor Louis Black. These two men encouraged my career in advocacy journalism, as they have many others.

It was through Louis, in fact, that I met Dave (like me, a former Chronicle contributor) and thus this paper came into being.

In 2016, TODO Austin will surely examine more signs of injustice, discrimination, segregation and racism around Austin. Last year, while a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was being removed from UT’s West Mall, we saw the shooting of an unarmed black man by an Austin police detective whose charge of manslaughter was later dismissed. Will Austin again be shamed with a disgrace such as being named the most economically segregated metro area in the country?

Where MLK and Gandhi led the way, none were excluded. Have a happy Republic Day and MLK Day this month.

TODO Austin // Multicultural Media for All of Austin. TODO Austin is a free print and online journal for all of Austin highlighting our multicultural heritage and promoting the concept of community in an ethnically diverse city.

Circulation throughout Austin, from the Westside’s Pennybacker Bridge to the Eastside’s Montopolis Bridge.

TODO Austin is published by Spark Awakened Publishing. © 2016 Spark Awakened Publishing. All rights reserved.

The views expressed here are the authors and should not be taken to represent those of Spark Awakened Publishing or of any of its associates or partners.

ADVERTISING/SUBMISSIONS/EDITORIAL: info@todoaustin.com, 512.538.4115 TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2016 // TODOAUSTIN.COM 03

ASIAN AUSTIN A-LIST PROFILE

George C. Thomas George C. Thomas was appointed as a Judge for the Municipal Court of the City of Austin.

He is the first Indian-American judge in Travis County history. After graduating from the University of Houston Law Center, Judge Thomas worked as a Legislative Assistant in the Texas House of Representatives, and practiced immigration law in Houston. Judge Thomas then spent almost 10 years as a prosecutor for the City of Austin and Travis County. He is president of the Board of the Indian American Coalition of Texas (IACT) and South Asian Bar Association of Austin.

TODO: How did you first get involved in social justice?

matter of making sure that your voice is heard to TODO: With your work at IACT, what result are make sure government resources, agencies, and you hoping to see?

Thomas: I am inspired every day by countless leaders are responsive to the needs of each facet of people who work hard behind the scenes at every the community.

Thomas: I’m hoping to see greater turnout at candidates’ forum, debate, or club meeting. Outside public government events, not just Indian cultural of the political realm are the people who are caring TODO: Are there generational issues, or cultural events. It is vital to show our elected officials for stray animals, people who volunteer their issues, or both, between young and old Asian/South that the Indian community is engaged and that retirement time to hospitals, and people committed American Austinites? we expect our local leaders to be available and to countless other community services and social responsive to us.

Thomas: There is no society where issues between causes. generations are non-existent. Each group has a TODO: How do you feel to be known as the first TODO: What was your attraction to your vocation? different hurdle to clear, whether it was being part South Asian American (and Asian American) to What drew you to do the work you do, your of a new wave of immigration to the country, to serve as a full-time Municipal Court Judge? profession and charitable work? having to achieve up to the expectations of those immigrants, or whether it means having to do all Thomas: My goal was not to be the first anything.

Thomas: What drew me to the job was simply that I of that amidst a constant lightning pace of change I am simply trying to do my best in a field of law had been unemployed and under-employed for so in information technology and distribution. This is that I enjoy. If it encourages Asian parents to long and the City was the first place to offer me a even more prevalent in Austin with a workforce and consider steering their children towards the law full time job. It was by sheer luck that I happened population that skew younger. and civic life versus the stereotypical medicine or to have an affinity for the work. What kept me in engineering careers, then I’m glad. The Asian and this field was that as a prosecutor I truly enjoyed the South Asian community are underrepresented in idea that I was not on a mission to win, but rather the field of law, and we need to show both parents to make sure that justice is done. Focusing on this and their children, that pursuing a career in the law goal, rather than just winning, means that I could and public service is a worthy endeavor, even if it spend my time trying to get as close to the truth as may not lead to fantastic wealth. possible when prosecuting cases.

What’s the driving force behind that?

George C. Thomas: I joined IACT a few years ago hoping to get involved more with the Indian community in Austin. IACT is devoted to civic engagement and this spoke to the public servant in me. The best way to ensure that your local government is responsive to the needs of the community is by making sure that the community TODO: What does the American Dream mean to you? is actively informed and engaged.

TODO: Is there anything particular about Austin that inspires you?

Thomas: I am inspired by how ready our citizens are to be involved in civic life. I think the city’s personality allows and even encourages people to speak their mind to their elected leaders and to be ready to give their time, talent, and treasure to support causes that are important to them.

TODO: Did you know what you wanted to do with Thomas: The American Dream is different for everyone, of course. My American Dream is that your life or did it just happen? we are always trying our best to remove barriers to Thomas: It just happened. I ended up in law success so that people who want to work hard and school because I needed a place to hide from the succeed are able to do so. real world after graduating from college. After a few years of struggling to find work, I found myself TODO: Asian/South Asian Americans are becoming in the prosecutor’s office for the City of Austin and a powerful force in Austin economically, culturally, immediately fell in love with the criminal justice politically and otherwise. How do you see them fitting into the larger Austin culture and community? process.

TODO: Who influenced you to get involved in Thomas: We are a vital part of this community. social causes and community engagement? Every socio-cultural-economic group is. It’s just a

Indian American Coalition of Texas Republic Day banquet honors two democracies

George C. Thomas

Thomas: A love of democracy is something that covers both parts of my cultural background, Indian and American.

Mayor Steve Adler, Texas state legislators, and Austin City Council Members. The event celebrates the common democracy that ties India and the U.S. together. The 2016 festivities highlight the history of that bond as they coincide with the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a man who was both the architect of the Indian constitution and a law graduate of Columbia University in the U.S.

This year’s event will feature a delicious Indian dinner, cultural performances, Trailblazer Award presentation, and a keynote address by Revathi

By Sameer Shah Balakrishnan, an Austin area educator recently honored as 2016 Texas Teacher of the Year. Her On Jan. 23, the Indian American Coalition of Texas comments as a Texas educator will fit well into this (IACT) will celebrate the 67th Republic Day of year’s student scholarship program, a major new India by hosting its third annual commemorative emphasis for the event. banquet at the Asian American Resource Center.

In India, Republic Day began on Jan. 26, 1950, the IACT has created a scholarship program to day that the Indian Constitution took effect in the give area South Asian youth the opportunity to newly independent nation. Austin celebrates the intern in the offices of local or state politicians or occasion with the Republic Day Banquet, open to organizations. This initiative is designed to drive the younger generation of Indian Americans’ the public. involvement in the political arena. The scholarship Among guests will be local leaders including program advances IACT’s core mission of increased 04 TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2016 // TODOAUSTIN.COM

TODO: What do you consider the most important cultural value for you and for those close to you?

participation through Education, Engagement, and Empowerment. To fund the program, IACT is offering local businesses and professionals the opportunity to sponsor this year’s banquet. The sponsors gain valuable exposure and recognition while supporting a great cause. IACT encourages local businesses to learn more about the

sponsorship by contacting IACT Board Member Jyotsna Paul at jyotsna.paul@gmail.com.

While the 2016 event is the third Republic Day Banquet, IACT began commemorating this milestone of democracy a few years before.

Past events have included a day-long fair featuring cultural CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Curator Bernadette Phifer reminds that “the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center remembers its commitment to serve our community.

We celebrate this pledge every day with the delivery of our Heritage, our History, our Hope for the future and our Passion for service in a place and time where we can recommit, renew, refocus, and re-align. We want you to join us in exploring our culture and history. We want you involved in our growth and our pride.

Currently on display through Jan. 30 is “Lost and Found Exhibition.” The exhibit features artist Chesiel John.

Opening Jan. 9 in the Sam Z. Coronado Gallery: “El Jardín de Earthly Delights - Paintings by Jaime Arredondo.” On a low-lying flood plain on the banks of the East River in Queens lies what was once one of the most heavily industrialized of the city’s far-flung districts, Long Island City. A monochromatic grid of low-slung, purely utilitarian buildings of no architectural significance: warehouses and hulking factories built during NY’s manufacturing heyday in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a landscape without any land to be seen: an environment almost purely urban, composed of brick, steel, glass, asphalt, and tar. It’s ugly. It

We remember Martin Luther King Jr., on Friday, Jan. 15 with a schedule of screenings including 11 a.m. “King- Go Beyond the Dream to Discover the Man.” At 12:40 p.m. is “Eyes on the Prize: Vol. 5, Power!s (1966-1968)”; “The Promised Land (1967-1968) America’s Civil Rights Movement”; and at 2:45 p.m., “Selma.” Free and open to the public.

This month’s Cultural Lounge on Thursday, Jan. 28, 6:308 p.m., will feature a screening of the film, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: Naija Edition.” A facilitated talkback and discussion with filmmaker and actors will immediately follow the screening.

IMMIGRATION OUTLOOK 2016

Advancing human rights at the border in the face of xenophobia and fear

By Robert Heyman During 2015, Border Network for Human Rights engaged in five core campaigns: a Campaign for an El Paso Community ID Card, Responding to Anti-Immigrant Agendas in the 84th Texas Legislature, a DPS (Texas) Accountability Campaign, a Border Enforcement Accountability and Oversight Campaign, and several Community Organizing and annual Abuse Documentation Campaigns. All of these, except the Texas Legislature campaign, are still active. These campaigns have seen BNHR staff and community working hard to protect the rights and dignity of border residents, and push to enhance their quality of life. This has largely been a year of successes, and our active campaigns appear in good shape going into 2016.

Last year, the Texas legislature met in regular session from January through May. Over the past decade, it has been marked by a steady rightward drift, particularly around immigration and border issues, and the 84th Legislature was no different. In the spring we saw serious consideration of legislation to take in-state public college and university tuition away from undocumented students, efforts to prohibit law enforcement policies against asking about immigration status, rules that would have

may even be inhospitable to a certain kind of beauty. It’s the last place in the city that one would look for flowers. And yet it is here, in an abandoned, unheated factory, in view of the Queensborough bridge, that Arrendondo devoted years of obsessive labor to the creation of a series of paintings - of orchids, tulips, crocuses, marigolds, daisies, pansies, morning glories, and roses - of such lush, vibrant color, heat, and light, and so alien to their surroundings, that one might see them as a protest or a defense against their place of origin - or as a memory of someplace else.

undocumented immigrant children last on waiting lists for health services such as transplants, attempts to create an interstate compact to move control of border enforcement from the Federal Government to the states, thankfully all of which failed.

Passing, however, was a bill that spends $800 million over two years for Texas to create its own border patrol within the Department of Public Safety (DPS), which expands measures put in place in response to Central American refugees in the summer of 2014, and which threatens border communities with potential profiling and harassment, creating a climate of fear for many. BNHR, along with our allies in the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA) strenuously worked to educate legislators about likely problems with these bills through the course of the session.

As BNHR moves into 2016, we expect the coming year will be dominated by the intense xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment we have seen mobilized over the course of the Republican presidential primary.

Saturday, Jan. 9 and 16, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | Successful Relationship Workshop for Couples. Fun, 2-day workshop was created for couples who want to be happier, get along better and get back that feeling they had when they first dated. Led by Certified Relationship Coach Vivi Sasaki, M.Ed., CPC, ELI-MP. $149 per couple, includes workshop, materials, refreshments and Gottman Relationship Checkup. Conference Room Saturday, Jan. 16 and 30, 1-5 p.m. | Austin Go Club. Play Go, the classic board game that originated in ancient China.

FREE. Community Room 1 Wednesday, Jan. 27 through Monday, Apr. 18 | Community Tax Center at the AARC. Foundation Communities is offering free tax preparation and filing at locations throughout Austin. Open Mon-Tues, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wed-Thurs, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For details about eligibility, a checklist of items to bring and scheduling, visit www.

CommunityTaxCenters.org. Classroom 2 Friday, Jan. 29 | ACC ESL Spring 2016 Enrollment Begins.

English as a Second Language Classes provided by the ACC will be held weekly at the AARC Wednesdays and Thursday evenings. Visit www.austincc.edu/abe/ for information and registration. 512-223-5300 for details and registration assistance. FREE. Classrooms 3, 4, 5.

major campaigns as we enter 2016: our Border Enforcement Accountability and Oversight Campaign, our DPS Accountability Campaign, our El Paso Community ID, and as always our bedrock Community Organizing Campaign (including the Abuse Documentation Campaign).

While the environment and tactics best suited to advance these campaigns may or may not change around them, we stand committed to working on these initiatives as our paths forward to advance the human rights and wellbeing of our constituent communities. These are their priorities, and the organization is unwavering in its commitment to following the path laid out by our membership.

begin implementation of an El Paso Community ID by the fall of 2016, and to continue laying the groundwork for future accountability and oversight measures around Texas’ DPS and various forms of Federal border enforcement.

Other potential topics on the horizon, which we will respond to should a community demand materialize, include defending the availability of Driver’s Licenses to all persons living in New Mexico, regardless of immigration status, and potential voter registration and turnout campaigns in the fall of 2016.

We feel we are well positioned for the coming We expect we will be able to accomplish much on year, stand ready for its challenges, and look these campaigns in the coming year, with an aim to forward to the opportunities it will bring.

RITA statewide rally in Austin in Feb 2015

However, we do feel that this comes with a strong pro-immigrant undercurrent, and that Latino communities in particular will be primed for organizing not only around the 2016 election, but also for longer-lasting grassroots community organizing that can be mobilized on any number of issues moving forward.

No matter the political environment for the coming year, BNHR remains committed to four TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2016 // TODOAUSTIN.COM 05

performances, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 food, proclamations by city officials, and sponsor exhibitions. IACT itself dates back to 2005, when a small group of committed individuals united to form an organization designed to increase the political, public, and policy participation of the Indian American community. Former board member and past President Ashwin Ghatalia explained IACT’s genesis. “Several of us noticed that while the Indian American community was thriving in the fields of medicine, science, finance, law, and even venturing into the arts, we were woefully under-represented in political office and absent in civic engagement,” said Ghatalia.

“So we decided to change that by building a team focused on increasing our community’s role in government, whether that was through elected office or civil service. And sometimes just getting people to take more interest furthers the process, because that means they vote more often and more intelligently.”

Successfully executing the vision while growing the organization’s presence and brand required diligent effort and broader recruiting. From that small group of six original founders, today’s IACT board consists of nearly 25 people ranging in age and profession, from retirees to practicing professionals in law, arts, finance, marketing, social work, science/technology, education and non-profit management. The organization boasts an array of accomplishments, including monitoring and voicing opinions on important legislation, organizing a youth leadership council

individuals. The first winner is The Austin South Asian, the only South Asian news publication in the community. The second recipient is Bruce Elfant, Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar, who has been instrumental in empowering the Indian American community to get out the vote while also developing innovative ways to drive voter registration. Finally, IACT will honor Revathi Balakrishnan for her awardwinning work in education.

For more info, go to www.iactaustin.org.

to foster community service among young people, increasing the appointments of Indian Americans on Austin City Boards and Commissions, and conducting voter registration drives.

“Not only does it strive to ensure that the Indian community is aware of political issues, but also to keep elected officials informed about the needs of the community.”

IACT’s current President, George Thomas, an Associate Judge of the City of Austin Municipal Court and the first Indian American judge in Travis County, reflected on why he chose to serve the organization. “IACT’s mission appealed to me because it works both ways,” said Thomas.

As part of its effort to encourage civic participation, every year IACT presents its Trailblazer Awards to Austinites and local organizations that exemplify IACT’s core mission. The award applauds those that demonstrate the power of engagement. This year IACT honors a newspaper and two outstanding

Good Times at Güero’s For great tunes and great rita’s!

Please join us for live music on our outside jardin stage, every Wednesday through Sunday. THANKS TO THE FANS & BANDS WHO SUPPORT US!!!

JANUARY Line-up OUTDOOR SHOWS ARE “WEATHER PERMITTING”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------FRI 1/1 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 SAT 1/2 THE BREW @ 2:30 & EL TULE’ @ 6:30 SUN 1/3 MCLEMORE @ 12:00 & THE RECUPERATORS @ 3:00

TACO BAR

WED THU FRI SAT SUN

1/4 1/7 1/8 1/9 1/10

KDRP RADIO SHOW @ 6:00 LOS FLAMES @ 6:30 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 THE TEXAS TYCOONS @ 2:30 & LOS AZTEX @ 6:30 TRENT TURNER @ 12:00 & BLUE MIST @ 3:00

WED THU FRI SAT SUN

1/13 1/14 1/15 1/16 1/17

KDRP RADIO SHOW @ 6:00 BEYOND THERAPY @ 6:30 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 JIM STRINGER @ 2:30 & AUSTIN HEAT @ 6:30 D.O. TRIO @ 12:00 & MITCH WEBB Y LOS SWINDLES @ 3:00

WED THU FRI SAT SUN

1/20 1/21 1/22 1/23 1/24

KDRP RADIO SHOW @ 6:00 GLENN COLLINS & THE ALIBIES @ 6:30 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 TRACIE LYNN @ 2:30 & WINK KEZIAH @ 6:30 THE HENS @ 12:00 & BIG BAND TEJANO @ 6:30

WED 1/27 KDRP RADIO SHOW @ 6:00 THU 1/28 MIKE MILLIGAN @ 6:30 FRI 1/29 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 SAT 1/30 EVE MONSEES & THE EXILES @ 2:30 & THE PETERSON BROTHERS @ 6:30 SUN 1/31 SUGAR, DIRT AND SAND @ 12:00 & CHICKEN STRUT @ 3:00

1412 S. Congress Avenue • Austin, Texas 78704 Open Weekdays 11am-11pm; Weekends 8am-11pm 06 TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2016 // TODOAUSTIN.COM

www.GuerosTacoBar.com

JANUARY 2015 FEATURED EVENTS: Lost and Found Exhibit by Chesiel John

FREE

December 3-January 30

George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina St.

More information at www.carvermuseum.org

Free Drawing Salons

Saturdays in January from 10am-12pm Elisbet Ney Museum, 304 E 44th Street More information at www.austintexas.gov/ElisabetNey

AARC’s Community Art Exhibition Reception Friday, January 15, 6pm-8pm Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Road More information at www.austintexas.gov/AARC

FREE

riendly

ly f & fami

Featured this month:

Global Grooves, Austin Moves

www.austintexas.gov/planetmusic

Conjunto: Pasado y Presente!

Featuring a free beginner dance lesson at the beginning of the evening!

perfect date nights start here.

Saturday, January 30, 7pm - 9pm, Free. Dougherty Arts Center 1101 Barton Springs Rd.

Visit our Facebook page for all upcoming events! www.facebook.com/ArtsInParks The City of Austin is proud to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require assistance for participation in our programs or use of our facilities, please call 512-974-4000.

Symphony BATS President Kate Perez and husband Hector enjoy their date nights with the ASO. Using the Blippar app on your mobile device, scan the image above for an interactive video!

From russia, With Love. Fri & sat, Jan 8 & 9 Jennifer Frautschi, violin n Peter Bay, conductor Long Center ’s Dell Hall n Concer t at 8:00 p.m.

Pr e-concer t talk with Bob Buckalew at 7:10 p.m.

JENNifER fRAuTSCHi

Your Austin Symphony Or chestr a pr esents master wor ks wr itten in Russia by the gr eat composer s Pr okofiev, Tchaikovsky, and Polish composer Wieniawski. The extr emely talented Jennifer Frautschi will per for m Wieniawski’s Violin Concer to No. 2 on her 1722 Str adivar ius known as the “Ex-Cadiz.”

Enjoy activities like playing on str inged instr uments and texting with musicians and Maestr o Peter Bay. #asofr autschi

C O NCER T S PO N SO RS

2016 Trailblazer Award Winners

2015 –16 SEASON PETER BAY, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Tickets/Info

M EDiA SPONSORS

(512) 476-6064 or austinsymphony.org All artists, programs, and dates subject to change.

Community Newspaper Bruce Eflant Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar

Revathi Balakrishan 2016 Texas Teacher of the Year-Round Rock ISD

To Do Música

By Liz Lopez

BROWN SOUND NEWS The formal worldwide digital release Vitera’s five-song EP, “Tequila Rock,” is Tuesday, Jan. 5.

The follow-up to his 2010 debut, “Súbete,” is a rock-fueled, Latin-infused work with tracks in English, Spanish and Spanglish, laced with Vitera’s signature 7-string Viper violin riffs. Highlights include the hard-rocking lead single, “That’s Just La Vida,” and a collaboration with San Antonio’s famed all-female Mariachi Las Coronelas (Que Pasara). The EP also includes “iTeWatcho,” “ Poison & Wine” and “Livin’ For The Ride.” A corresponding Tequila Rock Tour will follow with appearances in Texas, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. The “Tequila Rock” EP will also be available on all major digital platforms. The Tequila Rock Revolution “Mariachi Rock” show (Vitera and Mariachi Las Coronelas) Saturday, Jan. 9, presented by Austin Vida, at Stubb’s (indoor). The full line-up: 9:30 p.m.

Boca Abajo, Austin’s Latin Alternative Rock scene pioneers; 10:30 p.m. - Bidi Bidi Banda, Austin’s first all-star Selena Tribute band and Tequila Rock Revolution takes the stage at 11:30 p.m. All age, free event.

updates, visit www.warbucksmusic.com

Haydn Vitera

The Tejano Music Awards will be hosting their popular Fan Fair from March 17-20 in San Antonio with over 125 bands anticipated. For more information on time, bands and locations closer to the event, visit www.tejanomusicawars.com Attention artists, bands, composers, soloists, etc. A post has been entered on the Austin Latino Music Association (ALMA) Facebook page about the awards for Fox Music Team USA 2016. There are a few days left to register prior to the deadline on Jan. 14. The registration is free, but for more information, visit www.foxmusicusa.com Los A-T BoyZ returned from Monterrey after doing some promotion and are now back in the studio wrapping up their upcoming CD, “Este es Mi Barrio,” produced by Mario Vigil.

Katie Lee Ledezma is releasing her second single, the conjunto styled “La Golondrina,” a follow – up to her first single, “Aqui Estoy.” The titles include credits for collaboration by Mr. Fruty Villarreal, who Katie describes “one of the Living Legends on accordion,” Lonnie Gonzalez (Los Baddboyz Del Valle) on Bajo sexton and Klick Cardenas, former bass player with Los Dos Gilbertos.

The fine salsa band from Central Texas, Orquesta Trabuko, will be performing at the Iron Cactus North on Saturday, Jan. 16 from 9:30 p.m. at 10001 Stonelake Blvd.

Thirty years after The Tailgators released their debut album, “Swamp Rock,” the album is finally available for digital download for the first time. “Swamp Rock” was released in 1985 and features Don Leady (Leroi Brothers co-founder) on guitar, vocals fiddle and lap steel, bassist Keith Ferguson (Fabulous Thunderbirds) and Gary Mudcat Smith (Eager Beaver Boys) on drums. They toured internationally from 1985-1992. Soon after the release, Don and Keith were nominated for a Grammy in 1986 for their work with Big Guitars From Texas, alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck. The Tailgators released six more albums. “Swamp Rock” is now available digitally on CDBaby and other platforms. Eve & The Exiles and The Tail Gators will be performing on Saturday, Jan. 16, at The ABGB, 1305 W Oltorf St. Eve & The Exiles start the show at 9 p.m. with songs from their new album, “You Know She Did.” The Tail Gators take the stage at 10:30 p.m with Leady on The Nightowls, The Bellfuries and DJ Chorizo Funk guitar and vocals, Jack Montesinos on guitar, JJ take the stage at The Belmont on Jan. 7 with free Barrera on bass and Jason Moeller on drums. entry. Doors 7:30 p.m.

Tejano Music Award winner for Best New Male (Vocalist) of the Year in 2011, Javier Hinojosa, and Twenty-one years ago, KOOP Radio (91.7) took to the Texas Legend Band have released a new single, the airwaves providing the remarkable and eclectic “Entra a Mi Vida.” Check your local radio stations for sounds of our town. KOOP will celebrate in style their song. offering local beer, wine, and spirits tastings, as well as great entertainment on Saturday, Jan. 9 Devin Banda released an original song in Dec., starting 6 p.m. at the Ground Floor Theatre, 979 “Marry Me Christmas,” in English. She and Warbucks Springdale Rd. VIP tickets are $25 and include an Music Group’s CEO/Songwriter, Randy Saenz, unlimited tasting from 6-7 p.m. General Admission wrote the new tune. doors at 7 p.m. for $15. Tickets and information at www.koop.org The Austin music community has lost Gina Mendez, singer for hard rock band Tombstone Union, who Viva Tejano, a half hour variety TV Show, is a new family-friendly version with interviews and passed away Dec. 30 in a single car crash. The Barrio Bash Vol. VI will be held on Friday, Jan. 8 videos highlighting the best “de la onda Tejana.” 35-year-old’s band was a regular at the Dirty Dog featuring Monoceja: 9 p.m., Afrofreque: 10 p.m., Los Callejeros de San Anto: 11 p.m. with Kiko Villamizar It is an initiative of Warbucks Music Group. For Bar. Condolences to her family and friends. taking the stage at midnight. Flamingo Cantina, 515 more information and/or to be a guest on the E 6th St. It is a free event for 21+ and doors open Viva Tejano to be aired on Sunday mornings and RECOMMENDED SHOWS at 8 p.m.

Thursday evenings on Austin’s Azteca TV, email yoli.warbucksmusicgroup@yahoo.com. A meet Son de Rey, Bidi Bidi Banda and Fusca XR3 will and greet is planned at the Kyle studio to introduce be performing at The Belmont 305 W 6th St, on Also on Jan. 8, three fun bands will be performing reggae, ska and cumbia music at Dozen Street, more about Warbucks Music Group and for Tuesday, Jan. 5. Doors 6:30 p.m. with free entry.

1808 E 12th St. Stone20 (an eight member band playing a blend of roots and dancehall reggae), Orquesta Trabuko Huerta Culture (mixes cumbia, ska, reggae, hiphop, blues, rock, and balkan influences to create a sound that has been dubbed ‘psichocumbia’) and Los Kurados, the only Austin band playing ska in Espanol. Both Los Kurados and Huerta Culture are included on a compilation album recently distributed at the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) in New York. $5.

Baile do Seu Jacinto is back in 2016 with a show on Jan. 8 at 9:30 p.m. at The Sahara Lounge. The second Friday of each month, they will keep the dance floor hot with the best forró music in Texas.

SeFO (Jose Barragan) posted on Facebook last 08 TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2016 // TODOAUSTIN.COM

month, “Writing some new guitar parts, we have a new record in the oven. Keep your ears open!!”

In the meantime, his upcoming shows in Austin are: Saturday, Jan. 9th, 11:45 p.m. at Saxon Pub (Omar and the Howlers and Billy Wilson are also performing earlier that evening with some of Austin’s best musicians playing both Wilson originals, as well as famous covers of the late 60’s and 70’s. Stephen Zirkel on bass, Derek Morris on keys, and one of Austin’s finest on violin, Will Taylor.

10-11:30 p.m.), Thursday, Jan. 21, Badlands Dive Bar and Sunday, Jan. 24, 1 p.m. at Hope Farmers Market (Plaza Saltillo-Austin).

Katie Lee Ledezma

LONG CENTER MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST BILINGUAL PRODUCTION

‘Bill W. and Dr. Bob’ tackles stigma of alcoholism and power of recovery

By TODO Austin staff

Directly from off-Broadway, the Long Center for the Performing Arts presents the Texas premiere of Samuel Shem and Janet Surrey‘s criticallyacclaimed play, “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” with an official English opening on Tuesday, Feb. 2, and Spanish opening on Thursday, Feb. 4. Based on the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, “Bill W. and Dr. Bob” is an inspiring and often humorous story of the two men and their supportive wives, who founded Al Anon.

Performed in both English and Spanish—a first for any show to perform at the Long Center— the work earned wide praise at New York’s SoHo Playhouse during an 11-month, 251 performance run in 2013-2014. Directed by the venue’s Artistic Director, Darren Lee Cole, this particular revival of the internationally recognized show embarks on a few firsts in the theater community. Not only does it mark the first time a highly-revered educational and medical institution is using theater as a medium to educate the public and their students, the play is also designed for both English and Spanish speaking audiences with the hope of sparking dialogue about addiction on a wider scale.

Shem is best known as the author of “The House of God,” a bawdy, satirical novel based on his experiences as an intern at a Boston hospital.

“Shem” is the pen name of now-retired Harvard psychiatrist Stephen Bergman, who’s written several novels, plays and works of nonfiction.

From his Northeast home in December, Shem spoke about “Bill W. and Dr. Bob” and his vision of the production, which celebrates the power of recovery, educates the public and health-care community about the disease of alcoholism, and breaks down barriers and stigmas, encouraging support outreach to all who suffer and their friends and loved ones.

TODO: This is a drama telling the story of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. What inspired you to write it?

Samuel Shem: Janet Surrey, my spouse, and I had been working with alcoholics and addicts for many years as therapists, and we in 1986 decided to write two things together: one from her area (psychology, which became our book “We have to Talk: Healing Dialogues Between Women and Men”), and from mine, a play. We came across the story and were amazed—it’s a great American success story that no one had written. We immediately felt the tap of the Muse on our shoulders at the same time: it had to be a live play, structured like an AA meeting: a man stands up on one side of stage and says “My name’s Bill W. and I’m an alcoholic” and then on other side, “ Dr. Bob, alcoholic.” The play itself shows their stories, and ends with them finishing telling their stories. The structure if Greek: you know what happens, it’s how it happens that is dramatic. When Bill says, “—and I’m an alcoholic,” the AA members in the audience shout out “Hi Bill!” And we’re off.

had to be treated in all three arenas—this was the birth of the holistic movement in America, in 1935.

The dominant American culture worships the self, especially the self of a great man (and sometimes a great woman). “Bill W. and Dr. Bob” is not about a great man, it’s about a great relationship—about the “and.” The magic, and the healing, is the mutual connection. Mainstream American media cannot understand that distinction. When Time magazine listed the most important people of the 20th century, they included Bill Wilson. Without Dr. Bob, Bill Wilson would be have been a long-dead, unheard-of, drunk.

TODO: The vision of the production is pointed. Why are people less likely to be humane with alcoholics than they might be with those attempting to heal from other diseases?

Shem: For many millennia, being an alcoholic was TODO: How has your being a psychiatrist and deemed a moral failure. Still is, in a way. Bill and Bob changed that: and Dr. Bob discovered that “If it is playwright informed “Bill W. and Dr. Bob”? a disease, there must be a treatment.” He and Bill Shem: As a former psychiatrist, nothing (there are, found a treatment. to my knowledge, no other psychiatrists who are successful playwrights—and very few novelists. TODO: I’ve read where you had several goals with There’s a reason for that.). My having had my plays “Bill W. and Dr. Bob.” One of those was to write a great, historically-accurate play that was universally done before was key. applicable (not just for recovering drunks). It seems TODO: The play goes to the heart of what the to have worked. To what does the work owe such practice of medicine is all about: the risk of isolation, staying power? and the healing power of good connection. It seems full of optimism and idealism. Was that one Shem: The usual: great story, great characters, it’s astonishingly funny, people go through incredible of your goals? suffering and come up redeemed—a happy ending Shem: Absolutely. What Bill and Bob discovered that is historically accurate. In my writing, starting was, in Bill’s words, “The only thing that can with my first novel, “The House of God,” I realized keep a drunk sober is telling his story to another that my medical training was so horrible that if drunk.” Amazing, that. Because of my medical anyone were to read it, it had to ride on humor. I novel, “The House of God,” I speak all the time to believe that deeply. We humans are at our best doctors and other health care workers on “Staying when we both laugh and cry—and sometimes cry Human in Medicine,” and that’s the title of my talk: for joy.

“Isolation is deadly, and connection heals.” Bill and Bob discovered that alcoholism is a disease with TODO: It may be an idealistic notion but can art, physical, psychological, and spiritual elements, and such as your play, change the world?

Shem: YES! I am a bit of an old-fashioned rarity in the writing of novels and plays and nonfiction—I was lucky that “The House of God” did change the world of how doctors are trained—to a more humane, and aware, and “connected” endeavor. Similarly with “Bill W. and Dr. Bob.” Many thousands of people have experienced this in live theatre, and understand drunks and their families—the two wives, Lois Wilson and Anne Smith, are main characters in the play, and the founding of Al Anon Family Groups is shown.

My models in literature are world-changing works; a few come to mind: “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Tolstoy, “The Jungle”, “Heart of Darkness,” “The Tin Drum,” “1984,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Shakespeare and Faulkner and Thich Nhat Hanh and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, etc. Writing is hard, and I already had a day-job as a doctor: I can’t write about, say, a divorce, or a vampire. Has a novel about a divorce or a vampire ever changed anything? I have two mantras for my writing: it has to be fun, and it has to try to change the world by bringing people through suffering and showing healing, and redemption. My wife and my most recent book, “The Buddha’s Wife: The Path of Awakening Together,” tries to do that too: showing that you don’t have to leave home to become a Buddha, but that there is a path of “She Who Stays,” and walks with others, not alone but in connection, in their communities, to end suffering, and bring awareness.

TODO: This particular revival of “Bill W. and Dr. Bob” is groundbreaking. Why now and not before?

Shem: Because two years ago, I was lucky enough at my advanced age to be offered a Professorship in Medicine in Medical Humanities

by NYU Medical School—and it has turned out to be the most humane, vibrant, spirited place I’ve ever worked—including 30 years at Harvard Med. The Dean and CEO, Bob Grossman, quickly saw the importance CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2016 // TODOAUSTIN.COM 09

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 and sense of putting NYU Langone Medical Center’s name on this show as exclusive sponsor, and using it as a central focus for an “Initiative on Alcoholism and its Treatment.”

This will happen in January when we bring it to the Soho Playhouse off Broadway, and then the next stop Austin, and we hope then the rest of U.S.A. and all of Latin America.

“Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” is a surgeon from Ohio who has also been an alcoholic for 30 years, often going into the operating room with a hangover. Is he based on people in the health care profession?

Shem: He’s based on the historical record. We wrote a meticulously accurate historical portrayal of all the characters, including Bob. However, substance abuse is a big problem in medicine—the addiction rates are higher than that of the normal population. Bob was not only a drunk, but a daily drug addict—he took sedatives—barbiturates— every day to steady his hands for surgery. As he says in the play, “Lucky I haven’t killed somebody.”

NA—Narcotics Anonymous—and other 12 step programs of all kinds follow the AA model.

TODO: The play is presented in both English and Spanish. The discussion of addiction can sometimes be problematic in the Latino community. How did the idea of performing the work in Spanish come about and do you sense dialogue is achievable in the Latino community as a result?

Shem: The issue is huge for all cultural groups, including Latinos, but there is very little live U.S.A. theatre in Spanish, and AA and Al Anon are very popular treatments for Latinos—it was a natural service that we could do. AA is as prominent in Latino culture as in any other; everybody who successfully joins AA shares the essence of being an alcoholic. As Dr. Bob says in the play: “Our service keeps us sober.” I have been in recovery for 26 plus years, since 1986, and this play is my service. Also, both the director of the play, Darren Cole, and I have places in Costa Rica: he built a theatre in Jaco, and Janet and I have a finca on a mountain in Nicoya. It’s a marvelous country— since 1948, no army! We had four performances in Jaco in December, before moving it to NYC.

TODO: Have you been to Austin before and what are your expectations for the play here?

TODO: You’ve described your novel, “The House of God,” as a novel of nonviolent resistance to an unjust system that treats the people down at the bottom of the medical hierarchy, the workers, very badly. In “Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” your character Bill Wilson is a famous New York stockbroker who crashes with the stock market in 1929 and becomes a hopeless drunk. Do you feel he comes from an unjust system too, that is, the broker-dealer trade?

that the top 20 people own as much wealth as the bottom 150 million people. It’s not by chance that AA was founded in the Depression. One of Dr. Bob’s relatives, his daughter Sue, suggested to Janet and me that the reason AA was founded at that time was that nobody worked, and they could sit around and talk. By the way, another study shows that last year was the highest rate of alcoholism in the U.S.A. for the past 35 years. I don’t think that this is a coincidence. Nor is the past 10-year epidemic of Shem: Yes! We are in the throes of the billionaire binge drinking on college campuses. class, the one percent, and it is destroying our democracy. I just read a new study that shows TODO: Dr. Bob Smith, the other title character in

Aadhaar Gala raises $25K for Austin area students

Shem: Yes, I have. The play was done at the 75th anniversary International AA convention in San Antonio in 2010, and I came to Austin afterwards to visit my dear old friend, Terry Malick. I also hope to see Tim O’Brien the writer while I’m here, and to talk with the people at the University Texas Health Services who have an active program to deal with student substance abuse. We are planning a U.S.A. tour of colleges to deal with the epidemic of binge drinking on campus. And, just this month, the figures came out that all in all in America, alcohol abuse is at a 35 year high. Our expectations are of an enlightened city that will love the play in both Spanish and English!

award will enable me to focus more on my studies in this last semester of the nursing program and not have to worry as much about my financial situation.” – scholarship recipient, ACC

By Harish Kotecha, photos by Ravi Pothukuchy

Aadhaar (or “foundation” in English) is a first of its kind annual gala organized by Hindu Charities for America (HC4A). Aadhaar brings South Asians together to raise funds for financially disadvantaged students in the Austin area to help them learn skills so that they can earn equal to or better than living wages.

Many of us are surprised to find out that there is poverty in the U.S. 2013 data indicates that over 44 million people in the U.S. live below the federally defined poverty line. Austin is no exception.

City-data.com shows that 14.4 percent of Austin population has income below poverty level.

Many among the Austin South Asian community are prosperous. HC4A sees job skills as one way to overcome poverty. While college degrees are expensive and take time with a reported 47 percent dropout rate, vocational training takes six to 24 months to qualify/certify for a job that pays at least a living wage.

the generosity of people willing to give me a The scholarships provided by Aadhaar are second chance. With my second chance, I will help other individuals the same way I was helped trying targeted at helping lift recipients out of poverty. to get back on my feet!” – scholarship recipient, Here are some quotes from those who have ACC benefited from this work: “I was extremely happy and surprised when I was “Never in a million years would I have imagined selected as the recipient of you(r) scholarship, this 10 TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2016 // TODOAUSTIN.COM

This year’s premier of Aadhaar Gala was an incredible experience with dances, music and delicious food. Entertainment was presented

by Mayur Dance, Texas Raas and Vaishali Tendolkar. More than 300 attended, many in gorgeous, colorful traditional South Asian outfits. They joined the noble cause to help raise $25,000-plus in funds.

Kash Rambhotla, HC4A legal counsel, emceed the event and Janak and Kash conducted the fundraising drive. Steve Jacobs, Executive Director of Capital IDEA, talked on how the scholarship funds help, accompanied by two scholarship recipients.

Speakers by video presentation included Pratham USA, Aga Khan Foundation and The People’s Restaurant, GAMA, Pakistan American Cultural Foundation, speaking about the work being done Association, and GAMA, to name a few. to educate children in India, internationally, and Also presented were HC4A Selfless Service Pakistan respectively.

Awards to Ruchi Gagrani, HC4A Director Janak Zalawadia from Modern Woodsmen of Events, Dinesh Vakharia, Director of Fraternal Financial was the Triple Platinum Scholarships, and Seema Govil from TV Asian sponsor. Other sponsors included Starr Insurance for their contributions toward helping with Agency Dell Fluid Cache for Sans, Skypass Travel, the education of economically disadvantaged Gopal Gothikonda, Ashna Modh (Realtor), students in Austin area. Many volunteers came Focused on You Chiropractic, Honda Cane together to make the event a success.

Natural Sugar Cane Juice, K.P. Indian Grocers, Mehul Dave Photography, SOS Mechanical, Since 2014, HC4A has helped students in the SAIVA, Taj Palace, Banaras Indian Boutique, and Austin area with more than $45,000 raised.

Trinity Texas Realty. Services were provided Through Aadhaar’s platform, HC4A will continue

by Dhoom Décor, DesignPrint4U, Tempura to help local communities in need.

CELEBRATING

DIVERSITY

BRIDGE2BRIDGE From Montopolis Bridge to 360 Bridge, Everything Austin

Austin Symphony Orchestra presents violinist Jennifer Frautschi, Jan. 8-9, at the Long Center. Frautschi serves up hot music during the cold winter season, performing the Wieniawski on her 1722 Antonio Stradivarius violin known as the “ex-Cadiz,” on loan to her from a private American foundation. With a pre-concert talk by Bob Buckalew at 7:10 pm. austinsymphony.org

Austin MLK Celebration Jan. 14-18

Austin Area Heritage Council honors Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy with an uplifting program highlighting diversity and multiculturalism in the capital city. The schedule includes an oratory competition, MLK youth scholarship awards, a day of service and the MLK Day march and festival.

The MLK Oratory Competition will take place at St. James Episcopal Church on Thursday, Jan. 14, 6 p.m. Young oratory finalists will compete in timed, personally written speeches based on Dr. King’s legacy of peace and unity.

On Saturday, Jan. 16, United Way’s Hands on Central Texas welcomes volunteers at 9 a.m. for a day of community service starting from MLK Blvd. The public is invited to help complete numerous improvement projects throughout Austin, a service in honor of Dr. King. As event producers remind, the MLK holiday is not only for celebration and remembrance, education and tribute, but above all, a day of service supporting others by feeding the hungry, beautifying parks and more.

The MLK youth scholarship reception is presented at the George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center, Saturday, Jan. 16 at 3 p.m.

The awards were created to recognize youth in the Austin community for their outstanding commitment and achievement, as well as inspire the next generation of healthcare workers.

The culmination of MLK events is the MLK Day march and rally. The march kicks-off on Monday, Jan. 18, at 9 a.m. with a short program at the MLK Statue on the University of Texas campus.

Marchers then heads towards the historic HustonTillotson University campus in East Austin, where multiple activities are planned.

The MLK Community Celebration & Music Festival begins when the march arrives at H-TU at approximately 11 a.m. and lasts until 3 p.m. With vendors, local musical artists and more. For info see mlkcelebration.com

Fashion Arena Austin 2016 AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER

From Indian soul searching to identity in the face of veiling/unveiling by an Iranian American woman to contemporary expressions on Vietnamese rice paper, “Women Unbound” showcases three women artists in an exhibit that push boundaries and spans different cultures, mediums, techniques and ideas of thought. At AARC from Friday, Jan. 15. austintexas.gov/aarc Shay Ishii Dance Company presents the second set of performances of Dancestry, “Vivid” in three shows at Rollins Studio Theatre at the Long Center, Jan. 15-16.

Dancestry is a celebration of artistic heritage and revival of historic dance and this performance elaborates on masterworks of modern dance pioneers Loïe Fuller, Isadora Duncan, and Erick Hawkins with contemporary technology and media, culminating with new works. thelongcenter.org Salvage Vanguard Theater’s world premiere of “Denim Doves” by local playwright Adrienne Dawes, runs Jan 21-Feb. 2. Set in a dystopian future, the satirical piece is a collaboratively devised feminist farce that explores themes of women in subjugation and the hilarious consequences of a rigid dick-tatorship. With music by Erik Secrest and Henna Chou. salvagevanguard.org

A double-bill featuring longtime collaborators Dave Douglas and Uri Caine, followed by Don Byron’s New Gospel Quintet, is Friday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m. at McCullough Theatre. Both sets are steeped in spirituality and inspired by the American church music traditions of Sacred Harp, Gospel and the particular sacred folk music tradition of “shape-note singing.” texasperformingarts.org Pollyanna Theatre presents Pattern People Jan. 23- 31 at the Long Center Rollins Studio Theatre. The play is a theatrical exploration of many of the preliteracy skills needed to success in kindergarten. It’s also a fun-filled 45 minutes when four good friends explore what many different people in their world do to keep things in their community humming along. thelongcenter.org Fifth House Ensemble is a versatile and dynamic group praised for its conviction, authority and finesse. The ensemble is defined by its limitless imagination and energy, and an insatiable desire to bring chamber music to audiences of all types. Their work, a transformative cross-media performance, is on display Friday, Jan. 29, 8 p.m. at McCullough Theatre. texasperformingarts.org

The Fashion Opera is a traveling showcase, aka Fashion Arena, which makes a stop on Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Austin Convention Center from 4-8 p.m.

Tickets start at $10.

Drama is the name and the art of fashion is the game at this year’s Fashion Arena. Be inspired and entertained as the Fashion Opera continues its tradition of introducing thought provoking presentations with the purpose of inspiring patrons to have a healthy relationship with beauty.

Inspired by the beauty and dramatics of the opera, the Fashion Opera is a fashion entity that presents products, fashion merchandise, literature, art, and entertainment that stimulate the mind, ears, and eyes for the purpose of enhancing personal quality of life. The production features musical artists, sometimes including opera singers, to underscore its commitment to using the power of imagery and words to inspire and educate.

Clothing, hair, make up, and accessories. For many, these things probably come to mind first when thinking of the term, but fashion includes so much more. By definition, fashion includes behavior, lifestyle, manner, sir names, entertainment, furnishings, and architecture.

Fashion is also words, attitudes, belief systems, customs, music, cultural and artistic movements. Even the acts of attending certain events and destinations are part of the term, fashion. The term often refers to all things considered appropriate for the time, and it is within the latter part of the definition that a dynamic paradigm of social and political constructs emerge in regards to “who’s who” and “who matters.”

The Fashion Opera seeks to present the kind of merchandise, imagery, perspectives, art, literature, events and entertainment that challenge convention and perceptions, heal disconnection, and inspire invention by using the dynamic elements of fashion to ultimately celebrate and ignite the beauty and wonder of all that lies within, above, around, and beyond.

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2 0 1 5 / 2 0 1 6 Sea Son

Texas Performing arTs Fifth House Ensemble Black Violet III Dave Douglas & Uri Caine Present Joys Don Byron’s New Gospel Quintet Love, Peace and Soul

Jan 29 / Mccullough TheaTre

A dynamic performance of chamber music set to vivid graphic novel imagery and riveting narrative following a black house cat living in London during the plague.

Jan 22 / Mccullough TheaTre

An unexpected evening of jazz, steeped in spirituality and inspired by the American traditions of Sacred Harp and gospel music.

New York Polyphony feb 5 / baTeS reciTal hall

Regarded as one of the finest vocal chamber ensembles in the world, they put a modern touch to a repertoire that ranges from medieval melodies to contemporary compositions.

texasperformingarts.org $10 Student / $12 Military Tickets

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

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Los Lobos with Ballet Folklorico Mexicano

feb 11

eighth blackbird Hand Eye

Mar 10

Patty Griffin, Sara Watkins and AnaĂŻs Mitchell

Ma r 2 2

Circa

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UT Jazz Orchestra with Terell Stafford

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Join the conversation!

F /texasperformingarts L@tpapresents I @tpapresents

Classical music programming is made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

photo: dave weiland, eric snoza, chris owyoung

upcoming performances

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