[Proclamation – Texas A&M Forest Service – To be presented by Mayor Kirk Watson and to be accepted by Chancellor John Sharp of Texas A&M and Al Davis, Interim Director of Forrest Services]
[00:00:04]
UH, IT'S, UH, GOOD TO BE WITH Y'ALL ON THIS THURSDAY MORNING, AND I, UH, AM VERY EXCITED THAT THE FIRST, UH, THING WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY IS TO RECOGNIZE SOME FOLKS THAT WERE OF ENORMOUS HELP, UH, TO ACTUALLY THE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT, UH, IN AUSTIN, TEXAS DURING THE, UH, WINTER STORM MARA.
UM, AND, AND WE, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, WHEN THAT STORM HIT, IT WAS DEVASTATING TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND PEOPLE WERE WORKING VERY HARD IN CONDITIONS THAT WERE, IN MANY INSTANCES LIFE THREATENING, AND THERE WAS GREAT NEED IN OUR CITY.
AND ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE IS THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE AT TEXAS A AND M.
AND I'M PLEASED TO SAY THAT, UH, I'VE GOT STANDING BEHIND ME HERE, UH, WEARING THAT, UH, THAT PINK TIE.
HE'S, HE, HE'S PRETTY BRIGHT ON THE TV HERE, UM, IS, UH, THE CHANCELLOR OF THE TEXAS A AND M SYSTEM, AND A LONGTIME, UH, REALLY GREAT FRIEND OF MINE, UH, CHANCELLOR JOHN SHARP, UH, CHANCELLOR SHARP, ALONG WITH, UH, THE CHIEF NIM KIDD.
UH, I DIDN'T NEED TO MAKE A PHONE CALL.
UH, IT WAS ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE THEY CALLED ME SAYING, IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN BE HELPFUL TO YOU? AND THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT I DIDN'T KNOW, BY THE WAY, THAT'S THE LAST TIME YOU'LL EVER HEAR ME SAY THAT.
UM, BUT I, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF HELP I MIGHT NEED THAT THESE FOLKS COULD OFFER US.
SO AGAIN, THE CHANCELLOR AND THE CHIEF WERE, UH, READY TO LET ME KNOW THE VARIOUS THINGS THAT MIGHT BE BENEFICIAL TO US IN THE CITY.
AND SO I GOT IN CONTACT WITH THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE, INCLUDING, UH, THE CHIEFS THAT WE HAVE, WORKING IN DIFFERENT AREAS, WORKING WITH OUR, UM, UH, RESOURCE RECOVERY.
AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT TEXAS, A FOREST SERVICE BECAME A MAJOR PART OF WHAT WE WERE DOING TO TRY TO RESTORE OUR CITY AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR CITY.
AND I'LL SAY EVEN TO THE POINT OF WHEN I WOULD GET RECOMMENDATIONS OR QUESTIONS, UH, LEMME SAY IT THAT WAY, I WOULD GET QUESTIONS ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
IT WAS WONDERFUL TO HAVE A SHARP AND KID THERE WHERE I COULD ALSO SEEK ADVICE FROM THEM AND SAY, TELL ME WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE, OR TELL ME WHAT OTHER SERVICES CAN BE DONE AND WHAT THE KIND OF SERVICES THAT, THAT WERE CARRIED OUT.
AND THEY CARRIED THESE OUT IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE AS WELL.
BUT THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY THAT, THAT THE FOREST SERVICE PUT INTO CLEARING OUR ROADWAYS, UH, PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO OUR MOTORISTS, UH, MAKING SURE THAT TRAFFIC WASN'T IMPEDED, CLEARING TRAFFIC JAMS, JAMS AND TRANSPORTING EQUIPMENT, UH, THE SAW CREWS WERE, UH, WERE REMOVING DOWNED AND HAZARDOUS TREES.
THEY ASSISTED OUR UTILITY CREWS TO ACCESS AND, AND RESTORE POWER.
THEY ASSISTED OUR ARBORIST IN IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS TREES.
THEY, ON THEIR OWN, WERE PROACTIVELY GUIDED, UH, PROVIDED GUIDANCE TO OUR HOMEOWNERS AND OUR LANDOWNERS AND VARIOUS COMMUNITIES ON WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE HAZARD THAT WAS CREATED BY THE, BY POTENTIAL TREES, SOME OF THE TREES AND DEBRIS AND REMOVALS.
THEY WERE PART OF THE CONDUCT, UH, CONDUCTING AN ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGE.
AND, AND THEY MADE INFORMATION AVAILABLE NOT ONLY TO ME, BUT TO THE PEOPLE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT WERE WORKING DAY-TO-DAY IN THOSE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS TO TRY TO RESTORE OUR CITY.
THEY, THEY, THERE WAS A MOBILIZATION OF THE URBAN FOREST STRIKE TEAM TO ASSESS THE RISK OF AUSTIN'S AFFECTED PUBLIC TREES.
158 TREES WERE ASSESSED AND MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS WERE BEING PROVIDED BY THESE EXPERTS.
UH, AND THROUGHOUT ALL THIS TIME, AS I'VE SAID, BUT IT'S WORTH REPEATING, THE TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE WORKED WITH THE NETWORK OF ALL THE STATE AGENCY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICES AND COORDINATED MESSAGING AND NOTIFIED THE PUBLIC, UH, NOTIFIED, MADE SURE THAT, UH, THE A AND M SYSTEM WAS INVOLVED AND HELPED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION TO THE LEGISLATIVE OFFICES ALL ABOUT WHAT SORT OF RESPONSE AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES WERE OCCURRING.
TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE WHAT WE DID IN TERMS OF RESTORATION WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE.
SO IT'S, IT'S A PROPER MOMENT TO PAUSE AND TO SAY THAT THEY HAVE OUR DEEPEST THANKS.
[00:05:01]
AND WITH THAT, I WANNA READ A PROCLAMATION, BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS THE TEXAS A A AND M FOREST SERVICE MANAGES THE INTEREST OF OUR FOREST UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF DIRECTOR AL DAVIS AND TEXAS A AND M CHANCELLOR, JOHN SHARP.AND WHEREAS THE TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE IS ROUTINELY CALLED UPON TO ASSIST DURING ALL HAZARD EMERGENCIES.
AND WHEREAS THE TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE PLAYED AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RECOVERY ACTIVITIES FROM WINTER STORM MARA IN FEBRUARY, 2023.
AND WHEREAS THE TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE DEPLOYED 70 INDIVIDUALS WHO CLEARED 200 MILES OF ROADWAY, 3.15 MILES OF PRIMARY PARK TRAILS, 10 PARKING LOTS, 20 ACRES OF PUBLIC USE AREAS, AND MITIGATED 510 HAZARD TREES IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, KIRK WATSON, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM JUNE 8TH, 2023 AS TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE DAY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR.
UH, I'VE KNOWN KIRK WATSON FOR OVER 30 YEARS, AND THAT IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER HEARD HIM SAY HE DIDN'T KNOW SOMETHING
THE TEXAS A AND M UH, SYSTEM IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS. WE NOT ONLY HAVE, OF COURSE, THE FLAGSHIP IN COLLEGE STATION AND 10 OTHER UNIVERSITIES, BUT WE ALSO HAVE EIGHT STATE AGENCIES EMBEDDED IN THE SYSTEM.
NOW, ONE OF THOSE IS THE TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE.
IT WAS STARTED, UM, DECADES AGO AS A, AS AN AGENCY THAT TOOK CARE OF THE FOREST THAT, UH, ADVISED PEOPLE WORKED IN THE STATE FOREST AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND MAKE SURE THE TREES ARE IN GOOD SHAPE, AND THEY STILL DO EVERY SINGLE BIT OF THAT.
BUT NOW, UH, THEY DO A LOT MORE THAN THAT.
UH, THEY, THEY, THOUSANDS OF WILDFIRES THAT OCCUR ALL OVER THE STATE OF TEXAS, UH, IT'S THEM.
THEY'RE DIRECTING ALL OF THAT.
UH, WHENEVER A DISASTER OCCURS, UH, IF IT'S A HURRICANE, THEY'RE RIGHT ON THE FRONT LINES, UH, BEFORE THE RAIN EVER STOPS.
AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE PULLING PEOPLE OFF THEIR HOUSES.
WHEN YOU SEE THOSE HELICOPTERS WITH FOLKS COMING DOWN, IT'S LIKELY ONE OF THESE FOLKS THAT'S, THAT'S PULLING PEOPLE OFF OF THAT.
UH, THEY'RE IN AMARILLO TODAY BECAUSE OF EXTREME FLOODING.
UH, SO HIGH WATER RESCUE, ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
THERE'S ALMOST NOTHING THAT THEY DON'T DO.
AND THEN WHEN HURRICANE KATRINA, UH, HURRICANE HARVEY HIT HERE, UH, GOVERNOR ABBOTT ASKED US TO BE, UH, IN CHARGE OF THE CLEANUP.
AND AT THE END OF THAT PROCESS, THE LEGISLATURE THEN TOOK ALL OF THE TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HEADED BY NI KIDD OUTTA THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, AND MOVED IT INTO THE, UH, BECAME THE AID STATE AGENCY WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
AND SO, ANYTIME GOVERNOR ABBOTT DECLARES AN EMERGENCY OR A DISASTER, UH, IT ACTIVATES ALL OF TEDOM AND PARTICULARLY THE TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, WHETHER IT'S A FIRE, WHETHER IT'S A TORNADO, WHETHER IT'S A HURRICANE, WHETHER IT'S FLOODING OR WHATEVER, THEY'RE REALLY UNSUNG HEROES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
PEOPLE, UH, DON'T REALIZE, UH, ALL THAT, THAT THAT PARTICULAR AGENCY, IN PARTICULAR THE TEXAS M FOREST SERVICE DO HERE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP, UH, OF, OF AL DAVIS.
AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO ASK AL TO COME UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS.
AL UH, HAS BEEN THE HEAD OF THE TEXAS M FOREST SERVICE, UH, FOR TWO YEARS NOW.
HE IS A BRILLIANT ADMINISTRATOR.
UH, MORE, MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT IS HIS WIFE RUNS NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.
AND SO IF YOU WANT MARDI GRAS TICKETS ON THE BEST ROOFTOP, YOU GOTTA GO THROUGH DAVIS IN ORDER TO GET IT.
AND SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET ME PRESENT, UH, THE HEAD OF A GREAT, UH, STATE AGENCY THAT'S EMBEDDED IN THE A AND M SYSTEM, UH, MR. AL DAVIS.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THAT? I WON'T TRY TO, FIRST OF ALL, UH, WANT TO THANK YOU MAYOR, FOR ACKNOWLEDGING US.
UH, WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CHANCELLOR AND THE SUPPORT LEADERSHIP OF VICE CHANCELLOR, UH, KIT.
UH, MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT'S THE 540 YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN OF THE TEXAS A AND M FOREST SERVICE, WHO EVERY DAY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE.
AND WE DON'T DO IT ALL BY OURSELVES.
WE HAVE PARTNERS AND COOPERATORS WITH TM, WITH TEAKS, WITH TEXAS A AND M, A AGRILIFE EXTENSION SERVICE, TEXAS VETMED DIAGNOSTICS LABORATORIES, THE VFDS AND LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS TOO, AROUND, UH, THIS GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, ALL
[00:10:01]
RIGHT? AND DURING THE WEEK THAT THESE FOLK THAT YOU SEE HERE LED THIS RECOVERY RESPONSE, WE WERE DEALING WITH A TORNADO FLOOD AND THEN WINTER A STORM MARROW.SO AGAIN, I AM VERY, VERY BLESSED AND HONORED TO BE THEIR LEADER.
AND IF I COULD COIN A PHRASE, UH, THAT I TOOK FROM THE MARINE CORPS AND I'M A RETIRED MARINE, SLEEP WELL, AMERICA, THE MARINES ON DUTY SLEEP WELL, TEXAS, THE TEXAS A M FOREST SERVICE LED BY THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN, THE 540 I MENTIONED, THEY'RE ON DUTY.
GOD BLESS YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO, AND STAY SAFE AS YOU SEEK TO KEEP US SAFE, AND AND WE APPRECIATE IT.
SO, CHANCELLOR, WHY WON'T WE, AL WHY DON'T WE MOVE OVER HERE AND, UM, TAKE A PICTURE REAL QUICK.
YOU THINK WE MAYBE DO HERE? OKAY.
SHE, WE'LL DO THAT AND STAY WHERE YOU ARE.
JUST A LITTLE I WAS GONNA SAY, THIS PHOTO NEEDS TO YEAH, YEAH.
I, I WANT TO, FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, THIS IS COUNCIL MEMBER NATASHA HARPER.
MADISON, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER.
WHY DON'T YOU COME UP HERE TOO? GOOD MORNING.
I THINK WE GOTTA KEEP ON KEEPING.
[Proclamation - Men's Health Awareness Month]
ALL RIGHT, WELL, GOOD MORNING.UH, I AM EXCITED TO CELEBRATE MEN'S HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH THIS MONTH WITH MAYOR WATSON, COUNCIL MEMBER HARBOR MADISON, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR ADRIAN STIR, UH, AND LARRY WALLACE JR.
WITH THE MA BLACK MEN'S HEALTH CLINIC.
THIS NATIONAL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IS DONE EACH YEAR IN JUNE.
AND AS WE PREPARE TO HONOR FATHER'S DAY AND SOME OF THE SPECIAL MEN IN OUR LIVES, WE ALSO HIGHLIGHT THE WAYS WE CAN IMPROVE THEIR PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.
BRINGING ATTENTION TO THE HEALTH OF A SINGLE DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP IS NOT A ZERO SUM SITUATION.
THE GOAL IS NOT TO DIVERT RESOURCES FROM ANYONE, BUT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH REQUIRE
[00:15:01]
TAILORED RESPONSES TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR MEN AS WELL AS WOMEN AND GENDER MINORITIES.IF WE FAIL TO PRIORITIZE THE HEALTH OF ANY ONE GROUP, IT IMPACTS THE REST OF THEIR FAMILY AND COMMUNITY.
IN THIS CASE, IT MEANS THAT DISREGARDING MEN'S HEALTH CAUSES MANY MORE PEOPLE, INCLUDING WOMEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, TO ALSO SUFFER.
SOME HEALTH CHALLENGES ARE FACED UNIQUELY BY MEN SUCH AS PROSTATE AND TESTICULAR CANCER, BUT THERE ARE ALSO MANY MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT ARE NOT SEX SPECIFIC, SUCH AS MELANOMA AND DIABETES THAT HAVE WIDELY DIFFERENT SURVIVAL RATES AMONG MEN AND WOMEN.
SIMILAR DISPARITIES EXIST FOR MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES.
FOR EXAMPLE, NEARLY FOUR TIMES AS MANY MEN DIE BY SUICIDE THAN WOMEN.
THE DISPARATE IMPACT IS MOST VIVIDLY SUMMARIZED BY LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH.
CURRENTLY, WOMEN IN THE US ARE EXPECTED TO LIVE 79.1 YEARS, BUT MEN, 73.2 A GAP OF NEARLY SIX YEARS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT BLACK MEN, THAT GAP GROWS TO ALMOST 12 YEARS, TO 66.7 YEAR LIFESPAN.
AND IF WE LOOK AT THE RECENT TRENDS DURING THE PANDEMIC THAT LOWERED LIFE EXPECTANCIES FOR ALL GROUPS, BUT MEN EVEN MORE EXASPERATING THIS GAP.
SO I THINK IT'S TODAY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT WHILE THESE NUMBERS REPRESENT AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCIES, THEY AREN'T INEVITABLE.
AND WE CAN DO THINGS TO, TO CLOSE THAT GAP AND TO MAKE A CHANGE SO THAT WE CAN INCREASE THE LIFESPAN FOR EVERYBODY
SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO FIRST, REGULAR PREVENTIVE SCREENINGS, BALANCED DIET, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, WEARING SUNSCREEN, NOT SMOKING, MAINTAINING SUPPORTIVE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, ALL THESE THINGS WILL BENEFIT EVERYBODY.
AND AS WE RAISE AWARENESS TODAY, WE WANNA SPREAD THE WORD TO HELP TO INCREASE AND NORMALIZE THESE HABITS.
AND NOW I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE MAYOR WATSON TO SAY A FEW WORDS BEFORE WE PRESENT THIS PROCLAMATION.
REALLY ALL I WANNA SAY IS THANK YOU.
UH, THANKS FOR MAKING A PRIORITY, UH, MEN'S HEALTH AND MAKING, UH, AND, AND FOR MAKING AN EFFORT TO, TO HELP ASSURE PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
UH, I'M HERE ON JUNE 8TH, 2023, UH, GETTING READY TO BE THE MAYOR, UH, THAT PRESIDES OVER A CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
AND THE REASON I MENTIONED THAT IS WHEN I WAS IN MY EARLY THIRTIES, I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH METASTATIC TESTICULAR CANCER, WENT THROUGH MULTIPLE SURGERIES AND CHEMO, AND THEN A COUPLE YEARS LATER ON A ROUTINE CAT SCAN, THEY FOUND A, ANOTHER TUMOR IN MY ABDOMEN THAT WAS RELATED TO, UH, THE ORIGINAL CANCER.
AND, UM, THEY FIELD DRESSED ME, WENT IN AND, UM, UH, TOOK OUT THE LYMPH NODES.
BUT THE REASON I TELL YOU THAT STORY IS I AM GETTING ON JUNE 8TH, 2023, GETTING READY TO DO WHAT I'M ABLE TO DO CAUSE OF EARLY EFFECTIVE AND FREQUENT HEALTHCARE.
AND PART OF THAT WAS THAT I KNEW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SCREENING AND BEING ABLE TO CATCH SOMETHING.
UH, IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS BAD, BUT IT WAS EARLY ENOUGH THAT IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE THAT ALL THESE YEARS LATER, HERE I AM.
SO I WANT TO SAY AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO CALL ATTENTION SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE MANY YEARS LATER, LIKE ME, WILL BE ABLE TO, UM, LIVE THE KINDA LIFE WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, THEY'RE ACHIEVING THEIR AMBITIONS, THEY'RE ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS, UH, HOPE MATTERS AND EARLY EFFECTIVE AND FREQUENT HEALTHCARE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER.
NOW I'LL READ THIS REAL QUICK AND THEN WE CAN TAKE A GROUP PHOTO.
KNOWN THAT WHEREAS DESPITE ADVANCES IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH, LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR MEN AVERAGES ALMOST SIX YEARS LESS THAN WOMEN WITH AN EVEN GREATER DISPARITY EXISTING FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS.
AND WHEREAS LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE UNITED STATES HAS RECENTLY DEC DECLINE DECLINED ACROSS DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DECLINES OCCURRING FOR MEN, PARTICULARLY MEN OF COLOR, CREATING AN EVEN GREATER DISPARITY.
AND WHEREAS MEN WHO ARE AWARE OF THE VALUE THAT RESPONSIBLE PRACTICES AND PREVENTIVE HEALTHCARE CAN PLAY IN PROLONGING THEIR LIFESPAN WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO PARTICIPATE IN HEALTH SCREENINGS AND MODEL BEHAVIOR FOR OTHERS.
AND WHEREAS DURING NATIONAL MEN'S HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH, OUR NATION REC RECOMMITS TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF MEN AND BOYS ACROSS AMERICA AND ENCOURAGING THEM SIMILARLY LIKE THE BLACK
[00:20:01]
MEN'S HEALTH CLINIC TO MAKE THEIR HEALTH A PRIORITY.NOW, THEREFORE, I COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN AL ALTER ON BEHALF OF MAYOR KIRK WATSON, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM JUNE, 2023 AS MEN'S HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH.
UH, WE ARE REALLY PRIVILEGED AND HONORED TO BE HERE.
UH, THE BLACK MEN'S HEALTH CLINIC WAS CREATED, UH, ABOUT A YEAR AGO, AND OUR FOCUS IS ON ALL MEN OF COLOR.
BLACK AND BROWN MEN SUFFER THE HIGHEST RATES OF DISPARITIES, AND YET THEY'RE, UH, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT HAVE LEAST ACCESS TO CARE.
UH, THERE ARE LOTS OF PLACES WHERE YOU CAN GO AND GET HEALTHCARE, BUT OUR GOAL IS TO REACH THOSE MEN THAT ARE CURRENTLY NOT IN HEALTHCARE, AND WE TRY TO REMOVE THE BARRIERS.
SOME OF THOSE ARE ECONOMIC, SOME ARE BAD EXPERIENCES, SOME IS INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, SOME FALL JUST IN THE AREA OF LACK OF INFORMATION.
AND SO WE ARE HERE TO REALLY HELP ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES.
WE, WE DON'T WANT TO DUPLICATE WHAT'S ALREADY THERE.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF SERVICES THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH, UH, PUBLIC DOLLARS.
OUR ROLE IS TO ENHANCE WHAT'S ALREADY IN PLACE, UH, DO THE THINGS THAT OTHERS CAN'T DO.
AS FAR AS, UH, REACHING MEN OF COLOR.
UH, WE HAVE UNIQUE STRATEGIES THAT WE USE.
UH, WE USE CERTAIN PROGRAMS LIKE SPONSORING BASKETBALL LEAGUES.
WE HAVE A, A, A BARBERSHOP PROGRAM WHERE WE'LL PAY FOR YOUR HAIRCUT IF YOU COME AND GET AN EXAM.
SO, UH, EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE FOR US AS WE TRY TO REACH MEN.
OUR SERVICES ARE IN THREE CATEGORIES.
IT'S MENTAL HEALTH, IT'S PHYSICAL HEALTH, HEALTH SCREENINGS, AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.
AND SO OUR REACH IS BROAD AND, UH, WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT OUR PARTNERS.
WE HAVE OVER A DOZEN PARTNERS THAT ARE WORKING WITH US.
WE DO HAVE A CLINIC, WHICH IS LOCATED RIGHT AT TWO 90 AND CAMERON ROAD.
BUT, UH, OUR SERVICES ARE NOT LIMITED TO JUST ONE LOCATION.
UH, WE LEVERAGE OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH, UH, OTHERS.
WE APPRECIATE AUSTIN, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH, WHO IS A MAJOR FUNDER FOR OUR SERVICES AS WELL AS OTHERS.
WE BELIEVE THAT WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND SO WE JUST APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION.
THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU CITY COUNCILMAN.
THAT'S, IT'S GONNA BE A TRICKY PHOTO,
I'M GONNA HAVE YOU STAY BEHIND HERE.
[00:26:47]
ALL RIGHT.WE'LL FAN YOU WE'LL TAKE THAT'S RIGHT, YOU'LL FAN.
[Proclamation – Austin Public Access Television Month – To be presented by Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison and to be accepted by Rondella Hawkins, Telecommunications & Regulatory Affairs Officer]
GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY.MY NAME IS NATASHA HARPER MADISON.
I'M THE PROUD CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT ONE HERE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, ON THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
AND I GET THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO OFFER SOME GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION.
UH, FOR FIVE DECADES, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS PRESERVED AND SUPPORTED PUBLIC ACCESS TV.
IN FACT, PUBLIC ACCESS TV IS THE LONGEST RUNNING PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION CHANNEL IN AMERICA.
IT ALL STARTED BACK IN 1973, A WHOLE FOUR YEARS BEFORE I WAS BORN, WITH A TRIP DEEP INTO WEST AUSTIN OF MOUNT LARSON TO A, TO WIRE A PLAYBACK DEVICE INTO THE CABLE SYSTEM FOR THE CHANNEL'S VERY FIRST BROADCAST, WHICH OF COURSE WAS A LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE NATURALLY.
UM, OFF SCRIPT, JUST A MINUTE.
THAT'S HOW MY FOLKS LANDED IN AUSTIN, TEXAS IN 1974.
UM, BY WAY OF THE KURBO FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL, THEY TOLD, THEY CALLED THEM DUCEY, YOU HAVE TO GET TO AUSTIN.
AND HE CAME HERE TO PLAY MUSIC.
SO NATURALLY, A LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE.
THIS LOCAL GYM HAS AMPLIFIED THE VOICES OF THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY, HELPING THEM TO ENTERTAIN, INFORM, AND MAINTAIN AN INDEPENDENT PLATFORM FOR FREE SPEECH AND NON-COMMERCIAL PROGRAMMING, AND ALSO MAINTAIN THE CITY'S PROUD REPUTATION FOR KEEPING AUSTIN.
THIS WHERE THE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION IS IMPORTANT.
KEEPING AUSTIN, WE, WE HAVE HAD SOME WONDERFUL COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS UTILIZE THIS PLAQUE PLATFORM, ONE OF WHICH WAS OUR BELOVED LATE DR.
MARVIN GRIFFIN, WHO WAS THE PASTOR OF EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH.
GRIFFIN HOSTED A SERIES, A LIVE SERIES FOR OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
THE SHOW ORIGINATED FROM THE CARVER LIBRARY AND AIRED ON PUBLIC ACCESS TV, THE AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY, WHICH ACTUALLY IS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD OH TWO.
THE AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY MANAGES DAILY OPERATIONS OF AUSTIN PUBLIC ACCESS TV, ENSURING THAT IT CONTINUES TO SERVE AS AN INCUBATOR THAT ALLOWS ANYONE TO BE A PRODUCER OR A DIRECTOR, INCLUDING AWARD-WINNING DIRECTORS SUCH AS RICHARD LINKLATER AND ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, WHO BOTH USE THIS PLATFORM TO START THEIR VERY SUCCESSFUL DIRECTING CAREERS.
TODAY, THE FOCUS IS ON TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND FILM AND CREATIVE CAREERS WITH A FOCUS ON OUR IPOC
[00:30:01]
COMMUNITIES WHILE PRESERVING TRADITIONAL PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION PROGRAMMING.WE ARE SO VERY PROUD OF OUR THREE PUBLIC ACCESS TV CHANNELS AND THE STATE OF THE ART VIDEO PRODUCTION FACILITY AND STUDIO LOCATED IN AUSTIN IN MY DISTRICT, AS I MENTIONED, DISTRICT ONE.
SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND READ THE PROCLAMATION, BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS AUSTIN PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION IS CELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH, AND WHEREAS AUSTIN PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION CAN TRACE ITS ORIGINS TO JUNE OF 1973, WHEN SEVERAL UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RADIO TV FILM MAJORS WENT OUT TO MOUNT LARSON WITH THEIR VIDEO PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT ON THEIR SHOULDERS TO BROADCAST THE FIRST LIVE TELEVISION SHOW.
AND WHEREAS AUSTIN'S PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL 10 IS THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS RUNNING COMMUNITY CHANNEL IN THE COUNTRY, AND WHEREAS THE THIS FREE SPEECH, NON-COMMERCIAL VOICE OF THE PEOPLE, THIS PLATFORM HAS SERVED AS AN INCUBATOR FOR LOCAL INDIE FILMMAKERS.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, RICHARD, UH, RICHARD LINKLATER AND ROGER RODRIGUEZ, AS WELL AS OTHERS.
WHEREAS THOUSANDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE SHARED THEIR STORIES WITH AUSTIN COMMUNITY, WITH THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY VIA THE AUSTIN PUBLIC ACCESS TV OVER THE PAST FIVE DECADES.
AND WHEREAS WE WISH AUSTIN PUBLIC ACCESS TV CONTINUED SUCCESS AND EMPOWERING COMMUNITY MEMBERS, EASY AND FREE ACCESS TO THE TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY TO FIND THEIR UNIQUE VOICES AND AMPLIFY THEM WITH FELLOW AUSTINITES.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, NATASHA HARPER MADISON PROUD COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT ONE ON THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MAYOR KIRK WATSON, AND THE REST OF THE CITY COUNCIL DO HEREBY PROCLAIM JUNE, 2023 AS AUSTIN PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION MONTH.
I'M NOT CERTAIN WHO TO DO THE HANDOFF TO.
ARE YOU IN THE HOT SEAT? I'M IN THE HOT SEAT.
RON DE HAWKINS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS WITH FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S TRULY AN AMAZING DAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I ACTUALLY RECALL WHEN WE HAD THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY, THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY, AND NOW THE FIFTH 50TH ANNIVERSARY.
UM, MY, MY, MY, IT'S BEEN JUST REALLY EXCITING TO, TO SEE THE SUPPORT, THE ONGOING SUPPORT FROM OUR, FROM OUR FORMER MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGEMENT UP TILL TODAY TO PRESERVE THIS, YOU KNOW, VALUABLE COMMUNITY.
IT'S, IT'S ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY MEDIA, COMMUNITY ASSET, UM, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PRESERVE IT THROUGH GOOD PARTNERS, UH, INCLUDING AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY, BECAUSE WE'RE LEVERAGING THIS FACILITY AND USING THIS WONDERFUL EQUIPMENT FOR, THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR THE PUBLIC, UH, FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY.
SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UM, PRESERVE, I THINK WE'RE, UH, AGAIN, WE HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING CHANNEL, UM, IN THE COUNTRY AND A A LOT OF ACCESS CENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
ALL, UM, LOOK, LOOK TO AUSTIN AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, OUR PROGRAM AND THE SUPPORT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRAILBLAZERS AND, UH, I STILL THINK I CAN JUST STILL IMAGINE BACK IN THE SEVENTIES, FOLKS, YOU KNOW, GOING UP MOUNT MOUNT LARSON AND, YOU KNOW, PLUGGING IT IN AND HAVING, HAVING A LITTLE JAM SESSION.
UH, THIS, IT'S JUST REALLY JUST ACTUALLY TRULY EXCITING.
SO, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS HERE THAT SUPPORT, AGAIN, WE HAVE THE FILM SOCIETY.
UM, AND SO ANYWAY, JUST, IT'S A BIG DAY AND THERE IS GONNA BE AN OPEN HOUSE, UH, THAT AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY IS HOSTING, UM, ON SUNDAY, JUNE 25TH.
UM, AND SO THAT'LL BE A, UM, A MOMENT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A TOUR OF THE FACILITY AND LEARN ABOUT THE PROGRAM.