Visit Six Square, Austin’s Black cultural district on your next visit to the southern city. Here, travelers will find a concentration of Black art, history, architecture and Black owned businesses.
The official non-profit organization, Six Square, helps to facilitate tours, art installations, festivals and education. Simultaneously advocating programs that enrich Black lives through, “History, Arts, Culture, Heritage, Economic Development and Education.”
Visit the African American Cultural and Heritage Facility. Housed inside the former home of, Thomas Dedrick, the first freed Black person in the county. When it comes to food, the options are plenty. Sit down restaurants, food trucks, and black owned restaurants are plenty in Six Square. Try Sassy’s Vegetarian Soul Food or The Big Easy Bar & Grill, both delicious options in the Six Square Area.
Ready to learn more about the history of Black Austinites? Then, visit Six Square, Austin’s Black cultural district and “take a deep dive into history,” with Black Austin Tours. Your guide, Javier Wallace, has lived in the city his entire life. In fact, his family can trace their ancestry back to the area over 200 years.
Six Square, coined from the six square miles it is located in was part of Austin’s “master plan” in 1928. It forced Black Austinites into six square-miles on the east side of town. In two years, all but 20% of Austin’s Black population lived there. It is easy to see that, “despite segregation, black stores, clubs, and restaurants flourished in the area. Multi-generational families grew, and prominent leaders made local and national history in the areas of music, education, architecture, government, business and sports. They continue to grow today.