Some say the Blackland Neighborhood is named after the people who live here. Others say it refers to the rich, fertile blacklands prairie soil. There's one story that a Swedish settler left a hand shovel in the soil overnight, and when they returned it had grown into a full-grown shovel.

We all know the importance of roots. Without roots, plants die. People and communities also need a sense of place and permanency to put down roots, to be alive and thrive. That's what we do at Blackland CDC—we help build community roots.

This growth does not come without struggle. Austin's racist 1928 master plan displaced communities of color from West Austin into what they called the "Negro District," including the Blackland neighborhood.

The History of Blackland

Despite this forced segregation, a vibrant, diverse community emerged, fighting for survival. In the decades that followed, the City, State of Texas, and University of Texas began pulling out community roots as Blackland tenants lost homes to UT's eastward expansion.

In 1983, Charles Smith, Katherine Poole, and Bo McCarver formed Blackland Community Development Corporation. This Blackland community of diversity would have roots, a place to build history, a permanent place to call home through deeply affordable housing.

Growing Roots in Community

By the Numbers

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Stories of Roots

Thor, a resident artist and musician, serves on the boards of both BCDC and the SIMS Foundation. A fierce advocate for diverse creative communities, he works to remove stigmas around seeking mental health support. He knows firsthand how stable housing enables creative work to flourish.

Those are roots.

Thor

Angelica came to BCDC in 2020 from a Safe Place program after domestic assault, moving in with her two young daughters.

Today, those daughters are in college, her two sons are finishing high school, and Angelica just moved into a home she purchased with her new life partner.

Those are roots growing quickly.

Angelica

Betty was displaced in 2018 when UT expansion forced her from her rental home on Leona Street. But Blackland's safety net caught her—she moved directly into BCDC housing, staying rooted in her neighborhood.

A community builder at heart, and at 90 years old, Betty hosts large family gatherings for her 103 descendants and volunteers with Mt. Olive Church to feed the community.

Those are some roots.

Betty

a man and a child walking across a bridge

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