Chapter one:
Housing Inequities Forcing Families Out
Affordability issues affect almost everyone living in Central Texas, especially during a pandemic, but housing inequities are amplified for Hispanics and Latinos who live in a boomtown like Austin.
"I was born and raised in 78702," said Cynthia Vasquez.
It's ZIP code in East Austin where Black and Latino history and culture runs deep through the structures and the people who live there
"Our houses were actually made by my family," said Vasquez. "Remember running around through the framework with flashlights when I was seven or eight years old.”
Vasquez said her family owned five homes in East Austin. The hard work that went into building them was worth it, thanks to the community it created. It was replenished with the love they shared inside and outside of their homes on Robert Martinez Street.