TODO Austin January 2017

www.todoaustin.com

Resolution, Revolution.

VOLUME VIII / JAN 2017

Community Awakening

Facing new administration Culture Alive Republic Day of India Sexo, Pudor y Lรกgrimas Video Vortex

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

KLRU KIDS SHOWS STREAMING 24/7 ON THE PBS KIDS VIDEO APP STARTING JANUARY 16TH! IT’S FREE TO DOWNLOAD AND WATCH! COMING IN APRIL, KLRU WILL OFFER THE PBS KIDS 24/7 CHANNEL OVER THE AIR ON 18.4.

Join your friends anytime!

Learn more at KLRU.org Also This Month

Sherlock on Masterpiece

The mercurial Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) is back once more on British soil, as Doctor Watson (Martin Freeman) and his wife, Mary (Amanda Abbington), prepare for their biggest challenge yet: becoming parents.

Jan. 1, 8 at 8 pm; Jan. 15 at 10 pm encore schedule at klru.org

Texas Promise

A gripping story of equity, politics, money and our children as Texas and the nation make historic decisions about education, opportunity and our democracy. When the state of Texas cut $5.4 billion from public schools, Texans protested and districts sued the state and won.

Jan. 12 at 7:30 pm

Frontline Divided States Of America

Examine the partisanship that gridlocked Washington and charged the 2016 presidential campaign, the rise of populist anger on both sides of the aisle and the racial tensions that have erupted throughout the country.

Part 1: Jan. 17 at 8 pm; Part 2: Jan. 18 at 8 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

COA’s artist-in-residence program The City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division announced the launch of the City’s first Artist-in-Residence program. The nine-month pilot program will embed an artist within a City department to help resolve problems, provide innovative or new process improvements, and engage residents around community issues in creative ways. The City’s Watershed Protection Department has been selected as the partner department for the program’s inaugural year. “The Artist-in-Residence Program will create opportunities for looking at City services and citizen engagement through an artistic lens,” remarked Meghan Wells, Manager of CAD. “Austin is widely regarded for its creative approach to governance, and we are excited to add to that legacy with this dynamic new program that champions both the City and our artistic community.” An artist information meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the City Hall Boards and Commissions Room. The deadline to apply is Thursday, Feb. 16, 5 p.m.

U.S. Rep Doggett receives music honor

Lloyd Doggett (C) with Theresa Jenkins and Board President David Messier.)

Congressman Lloyd Doggett was recently honored with the “Champion of Music Award” from the Texas Chapter of The Recording Academy, the U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals which produces the Austin’s MULTICULTURAL media source for EIGHT YEARS • Find us at TODOAustin.com

Grammys. The award was presented by Texas Chapter Executive Director Theresa Jenkins and Board President David Messier. “This wasn’t for my singing!,” said Doggett. “But it does reflect my deep commitment to all those who bring us such joy through the music industry.”

Peace Box mobile mediation opens Austin’s first “pop-up” mobile meditation center, Peace Box, will officially open its doors on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 1107 South 8th Str. with a series of meditation classes and workshops that help educate and guide meditation practice. The event will feature world-renowned meditation expert and best-selling author, Sarah McLean.

The date marks the official introduction of Peace Box to Austin and the nation with its Mindfulness on the Move concept—a new style of “pop-up” meditation centers that are accessible to all and mobile, like a food truck but for mindfulness.

Continuing the celebration, Peace Box is offering free meditation classes through Saturday, Jan. 14 (walk-ins welcome).

Walsh boat landing meeting Austin Parks and Recreation Department will host a public meeting Wednesday, Jan. 18, at Lion’s Golf Course Club House to discuss the planned issuance of a Request for Applications to address commercial-recreational capacity issues, and provide an update to the planned improvements at Walsh Boat Landing. PARD operates the Walsh Boat Landing as a public entry area to access Lake Austin.

From councilmember Alison Alter As I transition to my new role representing District 10 on the Austin City Council, I hope you will continue to stand with me to put our community first. One of my first tasks will be to appoint over 50 board and commission members. I invite each of you to consider applying and/or to encourage talented friends and acquaintances to join me in serving Austin. To apply please fill out the online application. In addition, I am asking all applicants to send an email to boards@alisonalter. com identifying the boards/commissions they would like to be considered for and why they think they would make a good member. I will first be considering D10 residents.

Online community call-out

By Meredith C. Cox

TODO Austin is excited to announce that we have an entirely revamped and expanded website at TODOaustin.com. We love the print version of our newspaper, but we realize that having an online version of TODO Austin is more convenient and accessible to many of our readers, so we’ve put a lot of effort into creating a site that not only contains everything in our print version, but gives us space for all of the important things happening in the community that we just can’t fit into the paper. We’ve made it easy to navigate on your computer, tablet, or phone, and to share stories and photos with others with a click of a button. It’s also a snap to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and well as browse all of our past issues dating back to July 2010.

Our website highlights all of our cover stories and features, but often with expanded interviews, photos and information. We link to all of the important community leaders, organizations, and events we profile so it’s easy to find them online and get involved. You’ll also find that TODOaustin.com has a ton of information that doesn’t make our paper: upcoming events, film reviews, news, travel tips, Austin insider information, and music reviews, along with much more. In the future, we plan to expand our galleries to highlight all the great photos taken at different events around our community, videos from different happenings in our city linked to our YouTube channel, and more complete coverage of the most diverse events that Austin has to offer.

We have a lot more space to cover a lot more stuff now, so if you’ve got an event that TODOaustin.com should know about, let us know! We’re always looking for stories and tips on interesting people doing interesting things in the community, volunteering opportunities and information, community awareness stories, intriguing bands, artists, shows, venues, musicians, events, festivals, galleries, politics, and

Volume VIII, Number 9

Langford, César E. López Linares, Genoveva Rodriguez, Diana Sanchez

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

PRODUCTION SERVICES // Anthony Garcia

ART DIRECTOR // Dave McClinton dmdesigninc.com EDITOR //Lesly Reynaga // lesly@todoaustin.com MANAGING EDITOR // Meredith C. Cox meredith@todoaustin.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS // Liz Lopez, Monica Peña, Katie Walsh, Erica Stall Wiggins, Yvonne Lim Wilson CONTRIBUTING STAFF // Rose Di Grazia, Callie

CONTRIBUTORS // Alka Bhanot, Lauren Bruno, Roy Casagranda, Cat Cardenas, Cindy Casares, Evelyn C. Castillo, Lobo Corona, Nora De LaRosa, Laura Donnelly Gonzalez, Mark Guerra, Mari Hernandez, Yadira Izquierdo, Chaille Jolink, Ryan Jordan, Peniel Joseph, Ali Khataw, Ramey Ko, Harish Kotecha, Sonia Kotecha, Julia Lee, Isabel Lopez-Aguilar, Otis Lopez, Cristina Parker, Raul Rangel Uribe, Paul Saldaña, Marion Sanchez, Sameer Shah, Blake Shanley, Dani Slabaugh, Paul Stekler, Corey Tabor, Rama Tiru, Carola Rivera, Blanca Valencia, Lesley Varghese, Debora Kuetzpal Vasquez, Lichen Zhen ONLINE EDITION // TODOAustin.com

technology, and upcoming events that appeal to Austin’s multi-cultural and diverse population. If you’ve got a tip on something you think belongs in our newspaper or on TODOaustin.com, visit the site to contact us!

We’re also always looking for people who want to get involved with TODO – be that as a writer, photographer, or contributor. If you’re looking for a way to get involved in your community and uncover important or interesting stories that affect Austin, visit TODOaustin.com to get in touch.

Diego Luna

On a final note, with all the news in the media underscoring the heightened racial tension in the country, you may have missed the press around Diego Luna in the new film, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Luna, a Mexican actor, appears regularly in both Spanish-language and Englishlanguage films. In “Rogue One,” Luna chose not to modify his prominent Mexican accent, which on its own is not remarkable, but it is remarkable considering that the film has nothing to do with Luna being Mexican in any way, which actually is a pretty rare thing in Hollywood films. Usually when a Latino has a thick accent in a mainstream film, the character’s race or nationality is the focus. “Rogue One” doesn’t do this at all, and it’s so refreshing. It’ll be interesting to see what impact Luna’s choice might have on the movie industry going forward.

COVER // Photo by Workers Defense Project photo 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. © 2017 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 2017 // TODOAUSTIN.COM 03

Until Texas Democrats Can Organizationally Reach the State’s Latinos, Texas Will Never Turn “Purple” Paul Stekler

It’s been a constant refrain of Texas Democrats, wandering in the electoral wilderness for 20 years: When the Hispanic electorate finally arrives at the polls in the numbers they make up in the state’s population, everything will change. It’s the dream of waking the sleeping giant of Texas politics and turning the state blue.

In our short film about Texas, part of the “Postcards from the Great Divide” series, former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego remembers “a big poster that said ‘the ’80s were the decade of the Hispanic, and then the ’90s were the decade of the Hispanic, and then the 2000s.’”

In an election year that many expected to see an anti-Trump surge of Latinos, the surge never came. In a South Texas district that is more than 70 percent Hispanic, Gallego lost his bid to recapture his seat. For now, the sleeping giant still sleeps.

Latinos will become the largest ethnic group in Texas by 2017, with more than 40 percent of the population, yet they make up less than 20 percent of the voters. The reasons given for this disconnect are familiar to political observers.

The Latinos are disproportionately young, and young adults don’t vote. In small towns and rural areas, there are social and sometimes economic pressures not to publicly participate.

Gerrymandering, no longer under the review of the Voting Rights Act, also makes districts so uncompetitive that there’s little incentive to vote.

Finally, multiple research studies of voter ID laws find that they decrease the voter participation of minority communities.

The challenge in Texas, though, is deeper than that. If potential voters don’t see the importance of voting, how it impacts their day-to-day lives,

almost nothing can get them to register and vote.

Pasadena, just outside of Houston — once a white, working-class town — is now nearly 65 percent Latino. In our film, we profile a successful small-business owner who had emigrated from Monterrey, Mexico, and run unsuccessfully for a City Council seat in a redrawn district that would never have been approved under the old Voting Rights Act supervision. Undeterred, he tirelessly worked to motivate potential voters, but many didn’t feel any connection to politics. Others said that nobody has ever come to their door and asked them to vote. For some, voter ID laws created a fear of political participation.

Consider Nevada as an example of what could happen if, and when, the Latino electorate flexes its political muscle in Texas. In our Nevada film, it’s clear that the state GOP was well aware that they had to make inroads with Latino votes.

Their problem was that the Culinary Workers Union, allies of U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, was already organized and working on the ground. In an election result that was the reverse of what happened nationally, Democrats took back both houses of the state Legislature, captured two new congressional seats, and held Reid’s Senate seat by electing the first Latina to the U.S. Senate.

Democrats did it with a wave of Latino votes.

Texas has no comparable democratically allied organization, even in the large cities. Until Democrats can reach and motivate Latinos, by whatever means, things will progress slowly.

American politics is candidate-centric, and the best candidates have the ability to rebrand their party and to reshape and transform the electoral landscape. Without that knight on a white horse, though, if Democrats pin all their hopes on an expanded Latino vote without organizationally reaching them, it’ll be a long time until Democrats turn Texas purple, let alone blue.

Paul Stekler is the chair of the Radio-TelevisionFilm Department in the Moody College of Communication at U.T. He is one of tthe executive producers of the nine-state “Postcards from the Great Divide” series, all viewable at politicalpostcards.org.

Trump’s cabinet is the most powerful example to date of the Neoconfederacy resumption of power

By Peniel Joseph

The selection of Ben Carson to be secretary of housing and urban development is yet more evidence that Donald Trump and his transition team are embracing an approach that uses race as cover for a return to the racially oppressive past.

Carson, whose professional ascent was aided by civil rights victories and affirmative action, has pointedly rejected the very methods that allowed him to access opportunities that were unheard of in America’s pre-civil rights years. He will lead an agency tasked with helping combat poverty and support vulnerable Americans, but Carson has openly dismissed the idea that government can be trusted with that work.

It isn’t just that Carson isn’t qualified; his selection in combination with Trump’s choice of Steve Bannon as his chief strategist and Jeff Sessions as attorney general suggests that America is headed toward becoming a Neoconfederacy.

By publicly nominating officials who in a different era would have worn their defiance against racial integration and voting rights as a badge of honor, Trump has publicly sanctioned the politics of massive resistance against civil rights and social justice into an extension of the federal government.

This is not only stunning, but dangerously echoes the nation’s post-Reconstruction period of “Redemption.” The “redeemer” South derived its name from efforts by white politicians, business leaders and the working class to restore the racial and economic advantages of pre-Civil War America through legal and violent means.

Over the course of a brutal 30-year stretch at the

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end of the 19th century, they accomplished exactly that, ridding virtually the entire south of black elected officials, disenfranchising black voters and decimating the notion of equal citizenship.

Northern leaders turned a blind eye to the southern horrors of lynching, segregation and racial violence that became normalized enough for a sitting president, Woodrow Wilson, to rid the entire federal workforce of black workers and express public admiration for D.W. Griffith’s masterpiece of racial dissemblance, “The Birth of a Nation.”

The modern civil rights era opened a racial Pandora’s box that exposed deeply rooted myths about racial slavery and the injustice of Jim Crow, among others. While politicians such as Alabama Gov. George Wallace and South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond became icons of the unreconstructed South, political transformations in the rest of the country made such flagrant displays of anti-black racism counterproductive.

Fast forward to when Trump identified himself as both the “law and order” candidate and the voice of a new “silent majority.” Then he innovated a set of rules, using the word “Chicago” as a metaphor for black rage, lawlessness and poverty, exploiting the tragic deaths of law enforcement officers to spark fears of a nationwide crime wave, and publicly supporting “stop and frisk” measures that have been proved to be racially discriminatory and unconstitutional.

America has a long, shameful history when it comes to race and a capacity to allow for the degradation of whole populations based on race, religion, gender, sexuality and difference. We have come too far as a nation to return to an era when people of color, women, and gays and lesbians enjoyed far fewer rights than they do now.

The first step in resisting these efforts is not reaching out to the voters whose resistance to the idea of racial equality, let alone justice, made this possible. It lies in recognizing the larger danger in mainstreaming racism as a political and governing strategy.

We all must summon the moral courage to resist the rhetorical sleight of hand that bashes civil rights as identity politics, identify the “alt-right” as the white supremacists and white nationalists that they are, and label Trump’s impending Cabinet as the most powerful example to date of the Neoconfederacy resumption of power.

Peniel Joseph is a professor in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.

Thursday, Jan. 5, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. That’s My Face Young Adult Film Series. Featuring screenings of influential films and works by Black filmmakers. January’s film is “Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child.”

Saturday, Jan. 7, 6 p.m. -9 p.m. First Saturdays. This once-a-month

“Figúralo: Figurative Art” exhibit. Through Saturday, Jan. 14 in the Sam Z. Coronado Gallery. The ESB-MACC Education Department is proud to present this Youth Exhibit. Figúralo features the exploration of artistic mediums through figurines, figurative images and figurative narratives, and presents works from young artists from across Austin. Free and open to the public.

event celebrates a range of themes every year and ties into museum exhibits. Families are invited to celebrate community and have a new experience through art, crafts, music, food and conversations.

Friday, Jan. 13. MLK Day Film Screenings. “King - Go Beyond the Dream to Discover the Man” at 11 a.m., “Eyes on the Prize: Vol. 5, Power! (1966-1968) The Promised Land (1967-1968) America’s Civil Rights Movement” at 12:40 p.m., and “Selma” at 2:45 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21, 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Mommy, Daddy and Me Book Club. This book club aims to encourage children to read with

Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas. Jan. 20-29. Fridays & Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Black Box. “Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas” (Sex, Shame and Tears) is the award-winning Mexican play turned block bluster film of the early 2000s that tells the story of six people living in Mexico City, battling convivial monotony, empty marriages and repressed desires. A dark-humored comedy that explores the intersectionality of societal expectations and self-desires, within a cosmopolitan landscape. Directed and adapted by artistic director Luis Ordaz Gutiérrez. Ages: 18+.

parents/guardians and discuss works with others. Led by Yolanda King, a mom and local children’s book author.

Friday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. The Gallery Mixtape. This live music showcase features some of the most talented local women emcees, singer-songwriters and musicians, as well as a local artist and vendors.

Cultural Arts Division brings opportunities for local artists with diverse backgrounds

By Carola Rivera As the New Year begins, the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division brings opportunities for artists through its new Culture Alive funding initiative and the 2017 Faces of Austin project.

The new Culture Alive program will support a variety of artistic expressions and traditions practiced within diverse ALANA (African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American) communities and/or cultural groups in Austin. Awards up to $5,000 are available for eligible applicants to enrich the Austin community through the documentation, practice, and sharing of traditional art forms.

“Keeping alive the distinct cultural traditions within our diverse community is key to the long-term preservation of Austin’s heritage, artistic landscape, and neighborhood identity,” Cultural Arts Division Manager Meghan Wells remarked. “Culture Alive is an important step towards that goal...”

This program is geared specifically to support ALANA communities in Austin through an artscentric platform for community building and strengthening cultural traditions. ALANA groups and individual artists representing underserved

Grand Plática of the Latino Arts Residency Program. Wednesday, Jan. 11, 6 - 8 p.m. Auditorium. The Latino Arts Residency Program fosters the development of Austin-area Latino arts organizations and artists in all disciplines in an effort to build and enhance quality, sustainable community arts and cultural programming.

communities, including low-income, immigrant and refugee communities, first time applicants, and projects involving seniors or youth are encouraged to apply.

Artists and arts organizations may apply for funding of projects including the creation of artwork, documentation, and presentation of folk and traditional art forms. This includes individual artists working in contemporary art forms and/or making contemporary work that is inspired by or draws upon folk or traditional art forms. Projects may be a single event or activity, or a series or combination of multiple events or activities. All projects must have a public component such as a performance, concert, exhibition, film, reading, workshop or other activity that is open to and engages members of a larger community.

Friday, Jan. 13, 5 - 8 p.m. Community Art Exhibit Opening Reception. “Thinking of Home” is an exhibit by second generation Chinese American visual artist Sherry Xiao. “Word Play” is a children’s art exhibition in collaboration with the Gus Garcia Rec. Center and Austin Chinese School. Kids crafts and refreshments. Exhibits on view through Mar. 18. Free.

Saturday, Jan. 14, 1 - 4 p.m. Women’s Self Defense Workshop.

Learn to develop self-awareness and focus as a form of selfdefense with instructors from The Void Martial Arts. Free. RSVP.

Tuesday, Jan. 17 and Jan. 24, 7 - 8:30 p.m. The Inner Matrix Book Club. Explore author Joey Klein’s proven approach to living a truly rich and meaningful life using his core teachings and the practices of “Conscious Transformation.” Free. RSVP. Saturday, Jan. 28, 6 - 10 p.m. Republic Day of India Gala. The Indian American Coalition of Texas invites you to celebrate The Republic Day of India at this formal dinner. Tickets and Sponsorships available.

Saturday, Feb. 4, 6 - 10 p.m. Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration.

Join the Chinese Society of Austin to celebrate the Year of the Rooster with food and entertainment.

of $500 for each selected short film and $1,000 for the Judge’s Choice.

“Faces of Austin has enabled us to spotlight the vast array of talent within our local filmmaking community,” Wells remarked. “From light-hearted profiles of Austin locales to moving tributes of individuals who have shaped the fabric of our city, this program serves as an important outlet for Austin’s creative community.”

Short film criteria include 10 minute maximum length; by an Austin-area filmmaker or commissioned through an Austin organization; original non-fiction or fiction work no older than 3 years old; filmed in Austin or highlights Austin-area topics or organizations; does not violate copyright law by using copy written work, including music,

without permission; does not solicit funds or a particular political call to action; must be appropriate to show in a public setting to an audience of all ages; may not be also selected

by SXSW as part of its SXSW Shorts Competition; preference will be given to films that are about Austin’s artists and Austin’s creative community; and applicants must be 18 and older.

A selection panel comprising project advisors, media experts, and City staff will review each artist’s materials submitted by the deadline, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017. Selected submissions must meet requirements and demonstrate a high quality.

For more information on these programs, please visit austintexas.gov.

Culture Alive funding will be awarded on a monthly basis, and applications will be due the last Monday of each month. Monday, Jan. 30 is the first deadline to apply.

The Cultural Arts Division is also encouraging filmmakers to submit their short films for Faces of Austin. Established in 2005, Faces of Austin showcases shorts by local filmmakers that reflect the diverse faces, voices, and experiences of our City. Selected films will be screened during the SXSW Film Festival as part of its Community Programming in March, and will also be shown on the City of Austin’s channel, ATXN, and via the City’s website. One film will also receive a “Judge’s Choice” designation from a special guest judge.

New for Faces of Austin 2017 is a cash honorarium TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2017 // TODOAUSTIN.COM 05

Several movements mobilizing the community in the face of Inauguration Day

By Lesly Reynaga

Many communities in the entire country, and around the world, have been left with a sense of uncertainty ever since Donald J. Trump won the presidential election in November. With his inauguration as the 45th president of the U.S. quickly approaching, entire cities are organizing to protest Trump’s insulting and threatening campaign messages towards multiple groups of people. Various organizations are bringing together the people in Austin and surrounding communities to stand together for immigrants’ rights, women’s rights, the environment and other causes of justice and safety.

from North Texas, El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley and Austin.

“We’re sending a message of unity,” Workers Defense Project’s Legal Manager Ana Gonzalez said. “It’s not about one issue, it’s many different groups coming together.” Workers Defense Project is a membership-based organization that empowers low-income workers to achieve fair employment through education, direct services, organizing and strategic partnerships. It is also one of the organizations leading some of the anti-immigrant efforts in the city.

A nationwide mass mobilization to protect immigrants and refugees is also organizing on Saturday, Jan. 14. The group invites people of conscience across the country to stand together in what they call “an unbreakable line of defense” to protect immigrants and refugees against the incoming Trump regime’s plans for deportations, criminalization and hatred.

On Monday, Jan. 9, Grassroots Leadership, ICE out of Austin, and the Austin Sanctuary Network will hold a press conference announcing their plans to actively build resistance through direct action and organizing. Austin immigrants, faith leaders, and advocates will publicize plans for deportation defense and sanctuary in the streets, as well as local and state policy. Speakers at the press conference will include ICE Out of Austin’s Carmen Zuvieta, Austin Sanctuary Network’s Rev. Babs Miller, Grassroots Leadership’s Cristina Parker and ACLU of Texas’ Matt Simpson. The public is invited to join in this effort at the Grassroots Leadership at 8:30 a.m. on 2301 E. Cesar Chavez St. The Texas Together Campaign, a movement of all people living in Texas to promote inclusive communities that provide opportunity, dignity, and rights to all persons, is holding a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 11 from 9 10:30 a.m. at the Lt. Governor’s Press Room in the State Capitol building. Texas Senator Jose Rodriguez is the press conference sponsor and there will be representatives speaking Workers Defense Project photo

Workers Defense Project photo

Just one week before Donald Trump’s inauguration, immigrants, families and allies will rally, march, and hold vigils and mass community gatherings to build momentum for sanctuaries of safety and deportation defense networks in cities, schools, churches and states.

Joining the #HereToStay movement are organizations such as United We Dream, Center for Community Change, Fair Immigration Reform Movement, Service Employees International Union, America’s Voice Education Fund, American Federation of Teachers, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, Color of Change, National Domestic Workers Alliance and more.

The mobilization day is part of a growing wave of resilience and defiance against Trump’s promises to rip families apart, create a Muslim registry and enact policies like “stop and frisk” rooted in racial profiling and discrimination. Events are currently planned in cities in over 20 states

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across the country, including Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Further information is available at action.unitedwedream.org.

One Resistance, a coalition of Austin-area community groups that formed in midNovember to organize a protest against Donald Trump’s politics of fear, will also provide an opportunity for Austin residents to rally, protest, organize and support one another.

Over the past six weeks, the initial group of 15 participating organizations has grown to 30.

Some of these include Austin Central Labor Council, Austin Justice Coalition, Clean Water Action Texas, Communities of Color United, Education Austin, Educators in Solidarity, Equal Justice Center, Equality Texas, Fight for 15 Texas, Grassroots Leadership, JOLT Texas, The Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity, NARAL ProChoice Texas, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, Austin Beyond Coal, Texas AFL-CIO, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Freedom Network, and Workers Defense Project.

“There’s a really cool call right now where you have people from all kinds of movements and organizations coming together,” Workers Defense Project Communications Director Sam Robles comments. “Now there’s a real goal bringing people together for this One Resistance day.”

The One Resistance rally and protest event will take place on Friday, Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, beginning at 5 p.m. Resisters will gather at Auditorium Shores, 900 Riverside Dr., then march together up Congress Avenue to the south steps of the State Capitol building to a protest rally expected to begin around 6:30 p.m. The protest rally will include One Resistance speakers representing communities directly threatened by the Trump administration, and a “People’s Oath” ceremony. So far, more than 2,500 individuals have signed up to attend, according to the event’s Facebook page. The entire community is invited to the event, which is non-partisan and family friendly. More details can be found at oneresistance.com.

On Jan. 21, at least 30 cities nationwide are holding their own Women’s March rallies. The march emerged as a grassroots effort in the

days after the presidential election but, after the Facebook event went viral, traditional political organizers and groups have become involved.

Protests will also be held around the world in cities including Sydney, Zurich and Mexico City.

In Austin, the action will begin at noon at the State Capitol, where people will march in a symbolic joining of hands with all of the sister marches around the country and the world. The peaceful march aims to send a bold message to the new administration on their first day in office, and to the world, that women’s rights are human rights.

The Women’s March supports advocacy and resistance movements that reflect America’s multiple and intersecting identities. This march is a step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. It invites us all to stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.

The four co-chairs of the Women’s March are Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York; Tamika D. Mallory, political organizer and former executive director of the National Action Network; Carmen Perez, executive director of political action group The Gathering for Justice; and Bob Bland, a fashion designer who focuses on ethical manufacturing. Planned Parenthood has become an official partner of the march and will assist leaders in providing staff and large-scale event planning knowledge.

It is evident that, for many, the new administration feels like it’s fueled by hate and ready to attack basic human rights of individuals and marginalized communities. This is the time for all communities to stand up for the most vulnerable members of our society.

“It’s important to make sure that we’re honoring folks who don’t always have the privilege to go out and stand up for their rights,” Robles continued. “We need to have each other’s backs.”

FREE

JANUARY 2017 FEATURED EVENTS: Platicas con Cafe

Every Saturday, 9am - 12pm, All Year Round!

Pratice your language skills with new friends at this Spanish Conversation Meet Up! Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St. More information at www.maccaustin.org

Drawing Salons

Every Saturday in January, 10am-12pm

Draw amongst the statues! Professional guidance and materials provided.

Elisabet Ney Museum, 304 E 44th St. More information at www.austintexas.gov/ElisabetNey

That Racket! Improv

LOGO DESIGN BRAND DEVELOPMENT WEB DESIGN

Friday, January 20, 7pm-9pm

Laugh, cringe, cry at this show presented by DAC’s resident Improv Group Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Rd. More information at www.austintexas.gov/DAC

Tea Swap

Thursday, January 26, 6:30pm-8pm

Bring a tea to trade and try out new tea swap finds!

512.827.2620 // SUNDARAMDESIGN.COM 4201 West Parmer Lane • Building C • Suite 250 • Austin, TX 78727

Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Rd. More information at www.austintexas.gov/AARC

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 512-974-3914.

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

TACO BAR

1412 S. Congress Avenue • Austin, Texas 78704 Open Weekdays 11am-11pm; Weekends 8am-11pm

OUTDOOR SHOWS ARE “WEATHER PERMITTING” -----------------------------------------------------------------------WED 1/4 KDRP RADIO SHOW @ 6:00 THU 1/5 LOS FLAMES @ 6:30 FRI 1/6 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 -----------------------------------------------------------------------SAT 1/7 THE BREW @ 2:30 / EL TULE’ @ 6:30 SUN 1/8 THE SIDEMEN @ 12:00 / THE RECUPERATORS @ 3:00 WED 1/11 KDRP RADIO SHOW @ 6:00 THU 1/12 BEYOND THERAPY @ 6:30 FRI 1/13 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 -----------------------------------------------------------------------SAT 1/14 TEXAS TYCOONS @ 2:30 / M.C. & THE MYSTIXS @ 6:30 SUN 1/15 TRENT TURNER @ 12:00 / BLUE MIST @ 3:00 WED 1/18 KDRP RADIO SHOW @ 6:00 THU 1/19 DOCROCKIT @ 6:30 FRI 1/20 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 -----------------------------------------------------------------------SAT 1/21 JIM STRINGER @ 2:30 / AUSTIN HEAT @ 6:30 SUN 1/22 MCLEMORE AVENUE @ 12:00 / MITCH WEBB Y LOS SWINDLES @ 3:00 WED 1/25 KDRP RADIO SHOW @ 6:00 THU 1/26 TEX THOMAS & HIS NEW DANGLIN’ WRANGLERS @ 6:30 FRI 1/27 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW @ 6:30 -----------------------------------------------------------------------SAT 1/28 TIBURON @ 2:30 / GLEN COLLINS @ 6:30 SUN 1/29 EL TRIO MUSICAL @ 12:00 / CHICKEN STRUT @ 3:00

www.GuerosTacoBar.com

Experience unique film through Video Vortex video series

of crazy titles, with the only criterion being that we loved the movies. The same monthly title screens at every Alamo across the country. I took over the series after the first few months, since this particular sub-genre is basically something I’ve devoted my life to.”

By Meredith C. Cox

“My personal relationship with VHS goes handin-hand with Bleeding Skull!, a site I created in 2004 that turned into a book in 2013 (‘Bleeding Skull!: A 1980s Trash-Horror Odyssey’), and then a video label in collaboration with Mondo in 2015. I started seriously collecting VHS when I was touring in bands during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The movies appeal to me because they’re so personal, raw and uninhibited. Many of these films are bee-lines into the unhinged creativity of D.I.Y. filmmakers who have a do-or-die attitude about making movies. This is what they do, regardless of the resources at hand. That’s inspiring and beautiful to me. For the most part, it seems that the Video Vortex audiences in Austin share that sense of discovery. It’s like we’re seeing something forbidden and secret together.

These are movies that 99 percent of the world’s population have never heard of, and people still show up to the screenings. That’s what makes Video Vortex so special to me.”

One of the best things about Austin is its film culture, spurred in no small part by the Alamo Drafthouse. Among all of the Alamo’s offerings, Video Vortex is by far the most unique. It is a video series that, according to the Alamo’s website, “unearths ultra-obscure, ultra-bizarre movies from the fringes of the universe,” and it’s exactly as weird as it sounds.

TODO Austin staff spoke with Joe Ziemba, the Alamo Drafthouse’s AGFA and Genre Programming and Promotions Director, about this strange and delightful series.

WHAT IS VIDEO VORTEX? “Video Vortex launched in January of 2014.

The initial brainstorming for the direction of the series was a collaboration between myself and my colleagues Laird Jimenez, Tommy Swenson, and Cristina Cacioppo. The goal was to create a showcase series for movies that were made directly for — or only released on — VHS. Early on we were trying out all sorts

WHY VHS FILMS?

How do you find and select the films for the screenings?

Sofar Sounds — the ultimate exposure for music fans

By Meredith C. Cox Sofar Sounds isn’t a secret, but sometimes it kind of feels like one. Sofar, short for “songs from a room,” is a global community-produced, micro-gig series that puts musicians in front of intimate crowds, generally in small or unusual venues (like someone’s living room). What makes it feel surreptitious is the fact that the audience doesn’t know who will be performing or where. One has to apply to get a spot, the address is only revealed the day before, and the band isn’t revealed until the audience shows up. Oh, and there are rules — no talking, no texting, and you have to stay for the whole show.

“Sofar Sounds is the birth child of a group of friends who were tired of going to their showcases or their friend’s showcases and hearing people talking over the music, staring at their phones or clinking around glasses while barking drink orders at the bar,” Sofar Sounds Austin City Director Steven Cantu said. “They decided [in 2010] that they were going to host their own showcase in the living room of their tiny flat in London. People seemed enamored with the idea, and since then the movement has spread to over 293 cities around the world — the main objective being to bring the magic back to live music.”

In a city like Austin, finding good, accessible music can be overwhelming, simple because we are spoiled for choice.

“I think that Austin’s music scene in general can be a tough one,” Cantu states. “There is so much talent walking around this city that it’s hard at times for artists to make true fans.

Sofar Sounds gives them a platform to play for an audience of music lovers, giving them their undivided attention, ready 08 TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2017 // TODOAUSTIN.COM

place of people in the audience and think about what they might like to see. I let my passion guide my choices, but keep in mind that the audience is who I need to please. I want VV to always feel fresh and comfortable for the audience that we’ve built up over the past few years. I never want it to end.”

Alamo Drafthouse’s AGFA and Genre Programming and Promotions Director Joe Ziemba

“At this point, I do all of the programming, but I lean on my colleagues, friends, and girlfriend for advice and feedback. It’s an ultra-obsessive process that is fueled by joy. I put myself in the

and waiting to experience their music in its most personal form.”

It’s true that Sofar is a little bit off the beaten path when it comes to the rest of the live music scene. So far, I’ve attended showcases in someone’s backyard, a yoga studio, a coffee shop, and Google Fiber’s downtown office, among other places. The artists are usually local, but can come from farther out as well.

“Sofar is definitely a global community,” Cantu expressed.

“We have many artists who travel around the world and play Sofar showcases in as many cities as they can, everywhere.”

The performers are generally a mix of new musicians building a fan base, and established musicians you might have just paid to see in a packed club recently. Shakey Graves played for Sofar in Austin, and Leon Bridges performed for the Dallas branch. Other artists, such as Karen O, have played Sofar in New York City, and Bastille recently did a Sofar show in London. Half of the fun comes from not knowing who the audience is going to see, and being thrilled to see either a favorite band in an intimate space or a new, unheard-of musician.

Sofar is especially fun for the participants, particularly those who want to go beyond just listening to music. “Any and all kinds of people from every walk of life [are invited to help out] — be you a photographer, videographer, sound technician, or graphic designer, to just someone who loves music and wants to help out by emceeing a showcase or checking people in at the door,” Cantu said. “We want anyone who wants to be a part of this movement to have that opportunity.”

To apply for the upcoming Austin show — there are three scheduled for January — or to find out how to get involved, visit sofarsounds.com.

“My top five personal favorites in no particular order would be ‘Zombie ’90: Extreme Pestilence,’ ‘Droid,’ ‘Bad Magic,’ ‘American Commando Ninja,’ and ‘W.A.V.E’s Most Gruesome Hits,’ which was a 70-minute compilation that I edited together from a dozen mail-order-horror tapes by W.A.V.E. Productions. All of these screenings had elements of fun, discovery, and a “what-thefuck-am-I-looking-at” feeling for the audience, which pretty much sums up why Video Vortex exists. There are definitely titles that I’d love to show –like ‘Alien Beasts,’ ‘Violent Shit,’ and ‘Satan War’ – but probably won’t, just because they’re not fit for human audiences.”

Video Vortex plays at the Alamo South Lamar on one Sunday of each month. January’s film is “Truth Or Dare?: A Critical Madness,” the greatest horror movie about adultery ever made in Palm Beach, Florida. For more information, visit drafthouse.com.

To Do Música

By Liz Lopez BROWN SOUND NEWS Texas Folklife will host the Big Squeeze Accordion Contest for the 11th year. The program supports upand-coming Texas musicians who are 21 years of age or younger. Finalists will be selected by a panel of judges and will perform at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in April where three Grand Prize winners will be selected and receive prize packages.

The Grand Prize Winners will perform onstage with legendary Texas musicians at the Accordion Kings & Queens Concert in Houston in June. The showcases will be announced and the application instructions will be available this month online.

New Big Squeeze Program Director Alysha Hernández helms the program this year. “I can’t wait to get started on the Big Squeeze Accordion Contest for 2017,” said Executive Director Charlie Lockwood, who was appointed in October 2016.

“We at Texas Folklife have a lot of new energy for this year’s program. I’m particularly pleased that Alysha Hernández will be joining us. She brings a deep knowledge of historically important areas in the state for the contest, stellar experience in event production and management, and a lot of passion for our work. The Big Squeeze is one of our most popular and most important programs—I’m glad it is back!” For information call 512-441-9255 or visit texasfolklife.org.

Mike Maddux, former “acordeonista” with the band Cerronato, is involved with a current music trio known as “Hora Once.” Composed of members Ana Maria Barajas on vocals, Adam Carney on guitar and harp guitar, and Maddux on bandoneón and acordeón, they play a variety of music from South America, including tango, Brazilian choro, and songs by Astor Piazzolla, as well as original compositions. They recently released a CD titled “Hora Once/Eleventh Hour.” If you sign up for their newsletter, new subscribers will be sent a link to download a free song from their CD. To join and for more information, go to horaonce.com.

Brazilian Soul is a new band born in Austin and is comprised of Paula Maya on vocals; Sergio Yazbek on guitar; Marco Antonio on bass and Michael Longoria on drums. They describe their music as “really groovy Brazilian music influenced by American soul, plus other dance rhythms.” Their first show is Saturday, Jan. 14 at 10:30 p.m. at the Sahara Lounge, 1413 Webberville Rd. Also on the bill is Carolina Quintana and Company, featuring renowned Argentinean electric guitar Nicolas “Cookie” Polichiso opening the evening, as well as the Sahara House Band at midnight. The $8 cover includes buffet.

There was a theft at the home of Austin-based Los A-T Boyz last month and two instruments were stolen, an Hernandez bajo and a white classic Fender Stratocaster. They are both used by the patriarch, Mr. Paco Rodriguez, in their performances. Raphael

Hora Once

Rodriguez is asking musician fans and friends to report any information on the instruments to the group. Please contact them via social media for more information.

Award-winning electric violinist and singer songwriter Omar Phoenix returns to the stage after a lengthy hiatus with a fiery showcase of original music from his collection of albums including “Forever Red” (2005), “Experience” (2007), and “Mirrors and Memories” (2011). This will also be an opportunity for audiences to experience new songs from his upcoming fourth album due for release in 2017. “I’ve spent months retooling some of the older songs that the band and I have played for over ten years to give them a more clean and polished sound in contrast to the more classical crossover wash they had before,” Phoenix comments. Join him Jan. 6-7 at 8 p.m. at The City Theatre, 3823 Airport Blvd.

Jess Lopez is releasing a new CD titled “Mi Vida” and will have a CD release party on Saturday, Jan. 7 from 6-9 p.m. at Tropicana Bar and Grill, 1141 Airport Blvd. No cover. He has also been selected to perform in March at the Tejano Music Awards Fan Fair in San Antonio. For more information, visit the Facebook page for the artist.

Como Las Movies has made two announcements

about new songs. One is “Mermelada” featuring Gerardo Arellano (available on SoundCloud) as well as an official music video of the song “Reynosa” featuring Kiko Villamizar. Video directed by Barry Link; edited by Jasper McCollum; puppeteer Ana Lucia Amezcua; and available on YouTube.

Savannah Votion, a 2013 contestant on American Idol, has been working with Austin-based producer Rick Fuentes on an upcoming album, “Diva Del Fuego.” One of the songs is a remake of “Cuando Se Fue” and a video has been released that also features Fuentes. Available on YouTube.

RECOMMENDED SHOWS Free-Week Showcases, including Money Chicha, La Vida Buena, Son de Rey and Kalua, will be Friday, Jan. 6 from 9 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. at Stubb’s Indoor, 801 Red River St. Also during Free Week 2017 will be Hayden Vitera debuting at 3TEN Austin City Limits Live. He and the band will be rocking with Vallejo, who recently released CDs and videos for new music to be performed. Doors open 8 p.m.

3TEN Austin City Limits, 310 W. Willie Nelson Blvd.

---Ray Prim and 80Hproject to perform at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., respectively, Saturday, Jan. 7 at The Saxon Pub, 1320 South Lamar Blvd. Ticket information at saxonpub.com

---Celebrating their one year anniversary, “Sunday Salsa” continues weekly with music by Timberos del Norte at 9 p.m. and salsa dance lessons at 8 p.m. with Raul Ramirez. $7 cover. Sunday, Jan. 8. at One-2-One Bar, 1509 South Lamar Blvd.

---The Frank Gomez Band returns in 2017 to perform at Baby Acapulco, 5610 North IH 35, starting Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. For more details, visit artist Facebook page.

---“Squeezebox Sundays” begins at the Continental Club, 1315 S. Congress, from 3-6 p.m. Music

by The Gulf Coast Playboys (Jan. 8 and 29) and Conjunto Los Pinkys (Jan. 15 and 22). Admission is $5. For more information, visit the venue and group’s website and Facebook pages.

---Friday the 13th is your lucky night for live music with a variety only Austin can offer! Arrive early for Maracatu Texas as they open the night with thunderous and folkloric drums; Tio Chico’s Brazilian music with a kick; HueRTa CuLTuRe follows with Cumbia grooves and Earthshine will close the night with Reggae and Hip Hop. $7 at the door includes beans and chips and the backyard fire pit at the Sahara Lounge, 1413 Webberville Rd. ---Lo Nuestro band will be performing an early show on Sunday, Jan. 8 from 6 - 9 p.m. $5 cover at the door of Tropicana Bar and Grill, 1141 Airport Blvd.

This same venue is host to Los Garcia Bros. on Jan. 20 with a $10 cover before 8 p.m. and $12 after.

Call for reservations and information at 512- 4361027.

---Leti Garza y La Banda performs soulful Latin Dance Music every first and third Friday of the month at 9:30 p.m. La Banda is comprised of some of Austin’s top Latin and world musicians: Nick Litterski, Noah Mosgofian, Bruno Vinezof, Isaac Peña, Scott McIntosh, Ben Bradshaw and special guest, Ivan García. Cover is $7. Iron Cactus North, 10001 Stonelake Blvd.

---Patricia Vonne and Joe King Carrasco will be on a double bill Friday, Jan. 20 at Sam’s Burger Joint in San Antonio. Doors open at 8 p.m. with show time at 9 p.m. samsburgerjoint.com.

Money Chicha TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2017 // TODOAUSTIN.COM 09

Business owners invited to The Power of Local retreat

By Carola Rivera The Austin Independent Business Alliance presents The Power of Local, a one-day retreat for local business owners to connect with others, learn how to build business using the power of local and come together as a community to share ideas.

The day starts with a Continental Breakfast from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m., followed by a workshop presented by Julie Niehoff, speaker, author, local business advocate and marketing coach.

Niehoff will take business owners through a simple methodology for keeping marketing, messages and outreach in play beyond initial set-up. Time-saving tips, list growth and nurturing strategies, mobile readiness for today’s savvy consumer, the small matter of measurement, negotiation how-to and advice to live by on longevity and productivity from her most trusted mentors.

The program continues with a morning community conversation, when panelists will discuss engaging with local culture as a business. Panelists will include Bruce Willenzik,

Hotel Indigo

Home away from home.

By Rose Di Grazia

This time of year, with the unpredictable weather, as soon as the holidays are over I start feeling like a fish out of water. Being a March babe, I crave my next trip to the beach or even closer at the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

Now close your eyes and lend me your ears as I whisk you away to Hotel Indigo on the Rio.

Hotel Indigo is fantastic if you want to stay right on the river and bring your pets. The first thing you will notice as you pull up to the circular drive is the sound of the fountain welcoming you to come on in. This time of year the scent of pine was in the air upon entering. A little past the front desk is a bar area and restaurant that looks out onto the patio and pool area.

The pool area is being renovated and now is the time to book your Spring vacation so you too can lounge by it in the future.

The patio is my preferred spot for a filling breakfast and view of the palms swaying overhead and the Riverwalk and jogging path below. This is a prime hotel for guests that want to take their early morning jog or evening stroll. Breakfast out on the patio is one of the most relaxing things about this resort.

10 TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2017 // TODOAUSTIN.COM

founder of the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar and Co-founder of Birds Barbershop Michael Portman.

At lunchtime, enjoy a buffet lunch from several local restaurants, while Director of Independent We Stand Bill Brunelle talka about the power of the ‘buy local’ movement and how it can drive sales and customer loyalty.

The post-lunch workshop will be a panel discussion and Q&A with successful local business owners. Attendees will hear from Kendall Antonelli, co-owner of Antonelli’s Cheese Shop; Hoover Alexander, owner of Hoover’s Cooking and more.

The workshop will conclude with two community conversations: Keeping Austin Weird and Takeaways. Speakers will include Steve Bercu, CEO of BookPeople and Lynn Raridon, owner of Forbidden Fruit, among others.

“Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas:” From the silver screen to the Austin stage!

One of Mexico’s most iconic films of all time, “Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas” (Sex, Shame, and Tears), comes to life in Austin in its original form: a stage play! Produced now by ProyectoTEATRO and written in the early 90’s by Antonio Serrano, the story follows two marriages on the brink of an emotional breakdown that are suddenly surprised by people from their past. “Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas” uses snippets of laughter, confessions and psychological tensions to unpack the marital realities that hide behind wedding pictures and superficial dinner parties… flawed communication, infidelity, sexual fantasies and the loss of individuality. A comedy you have got to see.

“The play was written 26 years ago and had to be revised if it was going to be brought back on stage,” Director Luis Ordaz Gutiérrez comments.

“The script was very controversial for the times in which it was written because the topics were deemed taboo and intimate, but interestingly enough, the play falls short in 2017…society today is much more explicit, daring, and uncensored— so it was crucial to update the characters and their situations in order to make this project relevant and raw as it was back then.”

The show will play Jan. 20 - 29, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays at at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. Ticket prices range from $10-15.

Led by award-winning artistic director Luis Ordaz Gutiérrez, the play’s cast is Diego Villarreal, Karina Domínguez, Mario Ramírez, Yarisel Estrada, Antonio Medrano y Maribel Bello.

Projecto Teatro is driven by the vision to make the arts accessible to all sectors of the community, with a focus on the Latino population, in order to reduce the cultural disparities in our society.

For more information, please contact info@ proyectoteatro.com or 512-420-9078.

The event will be held Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Vuka. The cost is $49 for AIBA members and $149 for nonmembers. Light appetizers and a bar are available at 4:30 p.m. Additionally, attendees can enjoy a free chair massage by Lauterstein Conway Massage School from noon to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit ibuyaustin.com.

The service at this place is exceptional. Try one of the huge omelettes with tons of vegetables, sausage or bacon. The biscuits are light and fluffy. The pecan coffee was the way for this night owl to start the day. Guests can also choose to order the buffet fit for a king. If sitting in the sunshine is not your thing, then sit in the large dining area and enjoy being right next to the lavish buffet. One thing I love is the help yourself display case for a snack or evening light meal. The case filled with muffins, sandwiches, yogurt, milk, juices, and more is accessible to guests anytime day or night. So you won’t go to bed hungry here and you won’t have to run out and find an all night stop and rob to get a midnight snack.

The bar area is also a great place to get a glass of wine, beer, or champagne. For those special occasions order one of the bar’s romance packages. Ask about their seasonal cheese and cracker platters with a bottle of wine or champagne, and don’t forget the chocolate strawberries to take back to your room.

The rooms are clean and comfortable and ideal for people with pets. They have nice hardwood floors and a comfy leather sofa, and big screen televisions. The beds are so comfortable you won’t even feel your partner move at night.

This resort is in walking distance to an inn and

restaurant called Havana that hosts the Ernest Hemingway yearly birthday party in honor of the late author. After drinks or dinner, take a stroll down to the downtown area filled with shops and restaurants galore. Take a walk past the old time theater and shop at the gift shops adorned with wares from all parts of Mexico.

Why not spend the day shopping while getting some great exercise. After a day of shopping head back to the hotel for a restful night’s sleep.

This spring, enjoy yourself at a resort that prides itself in making guests feel like home away from home. For more information, go to ihg.com.

CELEBRATING

DIVERSITY

BRIDGE2BRIDGE From Montopolis Bridge to 360 Bridge, Everything Austin

The African Children’s Choir will melt your heart with charming smiles, beautiful voices and lively African songs and dances on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 7 p.m. With a focus on education as a means of change, the ACC is currently caring for underprivileged and destitute children throughout Africa. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-served. thelongcenter.org.

Austin MLK Celebration Jan. 12-16

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 a large MLK Day march and festival.

The MLK Oratory Competition will take place at St. James Episcopal Church on Thursday, Jan. 12, 6 p.m. Inspiring young contestants will compete by delivering personally written speeches commemorating Dr. King’s ideals and principles and encourage his legacy of peace and unity.

On Saturday, Jan. 14, 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, including feeding the hungry, beautifying parks, and much more, in voluntary service honoring Dr. King.

The MLK youth scholarship awards reception is presented at the ACC Eastview Campus, Building 8000 multipurpose room, on Saturday, Jan. 14, 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.

The culmination of Austin MLK events is the grand MLK Day march and rally. On Monday, Jan. 16, the march begins at 9 a.m. with a short program at the MLK Statue on the University of Texas campus. Marchers then head to the south steps of the State Capitol before crossing IH-35 to the Eastside towards the historic Huston-Tillotson University campus.

The MLK Community Celebration & Music Festival begins when the marchers arrive at H-TU. Festivities last until 3 p.m. Explore the grounds with booths, vendors, local musical artists and performers and more. For more info on Austin’s MLK events go to mlkcelebration.com

Austin Vida Presents Sunday Salsa One Year Anniversary with Timberos Del Norte, Sunday, Jan. 8, at One-2-One Bar. Timberos del Norte are Austin’s ambassadors of timba, a popular Cuban genre that incorporates elements of salsa, American funk, R&B and Afro-Cuban folk music.

Dance instruction provided by Raul Ramirez from 8-9 p.m. followed by music from 9-11:30 p.m. Cover is $7. one2onebar.com.

The Austin Symphony presents Symphonic Follies, music by P.D.Q. Bach, Milhaud, R. Strauss & Saint-Saëns, Jan. 13-14, 8 p.m., at Dell Hall. Music Director Peter Bay has arranged an evening filled with fantastic music.

Featuring guest pianist Jeffrey Biegel, Violin’s Etc. and a fanfare commissioned by KMFA 89.5 FM and composed

by Dan Welcher to commemorate the station’s 50th anniversary. austinsymphony.org Noted by Austin Women’s Magazine as “Austin’s First Lady of Jazz,” Pamela Hart will delight local audiences Thursday, Jan, 19 at 7:30 p.m., Rollins Studio Theatre.

Her excellent pitch, clarity and soothing vocal quality have earned her the title of Austin, Texas’ finest jazz vocalist. Hart’s sultry rendition of classic jazz standards and contemporary music wins the audience’s hearts. thelongcenter.org.

Two-time Emmy Award winner Sarah Silverman — actress, creator, writer, executive producer, comedian, and author — brings her unique talent to the Bass Concert Hall Sunday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m. In 2013, she debuted her HBO standup special “Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles,” which earned her a 2014 Primetime Emmy Award. In 2014, Silverman released the special as an audio album with great success. texasperformingarts.org.

Austin Opera presents The Daughter of the Regiment Jan. 28, Feb. 2 and 5 at Dell Hall. Featuring the Austin Opera Chorus and the Austin Opera Orchestra, the show brings high comedy, romance and vocal fireworks in this interpretation of Donizetti’s masterpiece. An opera in two acts, sung in French with English dialogue and English supertitles projected above the stage. austinopera.org

The Chinese New Year welcomes in the Year of the Rooster. Join the Chinese Society of Austin to celebrate with food and entertainment Saturday, Feb. 4, 6 - 10 p.m. at the Asian American Resource Center. The fun continues all day through Sunday, Feb. 5 at the Austin Chinatown Center, with yoga, drums, costumed dragon and lion dancers, family friendly fun and more. chinatownaustin.com.

India Republic Day

By Sameer Shah

On Saturday Jan. 28, the Indian American Coalition of Texas (IACT) will celebrate the 68th Republic Day of India by hosting its fourth annual commemorative banquet. Republic Day, first observed on Jan. 26, 1950, is the day that the Indian Constitution took effect in the newly independent India. IACT’s Republic Day Banquet is open to the public and will be attended by local leaders including Austin Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, Texas state legislator Donna Howard, and several Austin City Council Members. The event celebrates the common democracy that links India and the U.S. while highlighting IACT’s work driving civic engagement.

This year’s event will feature a delicious Indian dinner, a recap of IACT’s activities, cultural performances, and a keynote address by Rafael Anchia, who was appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations by President Obama. IACT will also highlight its scholarship program that cultivates young leaders by placing them in internships at legislative and government offices. This program is jointly conducted with the Asian Pacific Islander Public Affairs Association.

The scholarship program advances IACT’s core mission of increased civic participation through education, engagement and empowerment. To fund the scholarships, IACT offers local businesses and professionals the opportunity to sponsor this year’s banquet. IACT encourages local businesses to learn more about the sponsorships by contacting IACT Executive Vice President Jyotsna Paul at jyotsna.paul@ gmail.com.

“Our annual banquet is both a celebration and the kickoff of a new year of civic engagement. I look forward to sharing our efforts and building relationships that will facilitate community involvement on local and national issues,” said IACT President George Thomas. The event will be held at the Asian American Resource Center.

Tickets at http://www.iactaustin.org/tickets-andmembership.html and more info about IACT and the event at www.iactaustin.org.

TODO AUSTIN // JAN 2017 // TODOAUSTIN.COM 11

FEBRUARY 18-19

ONCE

Winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards® including BEST MUSICAL, ONCE is a truly original Broadway experience.

Featuring an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage, ONCE tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who’s about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs.

FEBRUARY 4

KATHY GRIFFIN

FEBRUARY 26

FROM THE TOP