People

Riders Against the Storm

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“Mission Accomplished,” was how Chaka felt when Riders Against the Storm (RAS) won the prestigious Band of the Year award at this year’s SXSW Music Festival. To have Hip Hop appreciated and validated by a bona fide music-loving community was exactly the purpose of RAS’ move to Austin in 2009.

Austin’s Modern Woman: Funmi Ogunro

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Her name is Olufunmilay Ogunro, but you can call her Fum Fum. The Austin native shone like a jewel as she recently wrapped production on her short film, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER? NAIJA EDITION. It’s a rendition of the classic Sidney Poitier film, but this time, the family is Nigerian American.

Cracking the Code: Toni Tipton Martin

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Toni Tipton Martin uncovered a truth as a cub food reporter for the LOS ANGELES TIMES. After years of research, she can now authoritatively state with the force of a thousand voices from the past behind her: “African American women are competent, proficient and innovative in the field of cooking, and they have ownership of many recipes and techniques beyond a few soul food recipes of the 1960s.”

Texas Strong or Bust!

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Many of us remember where we were, who we were with, and how we felt on the remarkable day when Barack Obama won the election to become President of the United States. Although others cried out and obstinately declared they would leave the country in protest, fair-minded individuals regardless of who they voted for confidently acknowledged the noteworthy event.