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Students in the Austin school district outperformed state averages in most courses during the recent round of STAAR testing, with some scores surpassing pre-pandemic levels — but there are still groups of students falling behind the state standard. How the district is planning to address that.
It’s been a rough few years for the craft brewing industry in Austin and across the state. After a spat of brewery closures, businesses are looking for new ways to get folks to frequent their neighborhood pub.
Juneteenth is Friday, and the Black History Bike Ride is gearing up for another trek through Austin. More on their story and the film documenting their work that’s premiering tonight.
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The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] Students in the Austin School District outperformed state averages in most courses during the recent round of star testing. Some scores surpassed pre-pandemic levels, but there are still groups of students falling behind the state standard. How the district is planning to address that. And it’s been a rough few years for the craft brewing industry in Austin and across the state. After a spat of brewery closures, businesses are looking for new ways to get folks to frequent their neighborhood pub. Plenty more about those stories coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:36] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:41] Plus, Juneteenth is Friday, and the Black History Bike Ride is gearing up for another trek through Austin. We’re going to share their story and talk about the film documenting their work that’s premiering tonight. That is coming up next, and it’s right here on Austin Signal. Howdy out there, you are listening to Austin Signal. I’m your host, Jerry Gechunel. It is Wednesday, June 17th. Thank you for tuning in to community powered public radio. This is KUT News. The school year is over, but the school news never stops. And this week we found out students in the Austin Independent School District scored above the state average in most courses. That’s according to preliminary results from this year’s star tests. Here to tell us more is Greta Díaz-González Vázquez, she is KUT’s education reporter. Greta, thanks for being back on the show.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:01:40] Hi Jerry, happy to be here.
Jerry Quijano [00:01:42] So, which courses did Austin ISD students excel above statewide scores?
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:01:46] Yeah, so AISD students, they’re doing great in general, if we look at a general picture in reading math and social sciences. In some cases, their graders, for example, they went above pre-pandemic levels. Because as you might remember, grades went down after the pandemic.
Jerry Quijano [00:02:04] And taking a closer look at the reading scores, how did AISD students do there?
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:02:08] Yeah, so students across the state are not meeting pre-pandemic levels for reading, but third grade students that meet academic grade level even drop one percentage point statewide, but AISD students did the opposite. They went above pre-pendemic levels by quite a bit by eight percentage points, which is good. AIS is scoring above state average in each grade by a couple or a few points compared to state-wide peers. But if we look at Spanish speakers in AISD, that is not the case, that is the opposite. They are scoring below their statewide peers and also of course below their English speaking peers. Students can take the start test in Spanish through fifth grade and we see that third, fourth and fifth grade students who took it in Spanish are scoring way below their peers. If we see third grade, that’s a 20% meet. Academic levels compared to statewide wide which is 28 percent or their English speaking peers which is 59 so that’s a big difference
Jerry Quijano [00:03:11] That is a big difference. What about when it comes to math scores?
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:03:14] Yeah, so most AISD grades are scoring also above state average, except sixth and seventh grade, which is statewide. They’re also scoring kind of low compared to other grades. Also, most fourth graders are doing better than before the pandemic. So that is great. That’s 52% of AISB fourth graders meet grade level, and they are higher than statewide. But once again, Spanish speaking students are falling behind, especially that is especially true for third and fourth graders. 8% of kids or students who took the test in Spanish, third graders, met grade level. That is compared to state-wide, which is 27%, and their English-speaking peers, 47%. The 8%, that’s pretty low.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:00] Okay, well we have more reporting about this in our podcast show notes and at kut.org and on the KUT app. We have been speaking with Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez. She is KUT’s education reporter. Great to see you.
Greta Diaz Gonzalez Vasquez [00:04:13] Thank you, Jerry.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:21] It’s been a rough couple of years for the Texas craft brewing industry. Here in Austin, we’ve said goodbye to several local tap rooms, including Black Star Co-op and Fourth Tap Brewing, and friends and allies as well. Recently, High Sign Brewing announced its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but it says it plans to stay open. Joining me now to discuss how the industry is faring and how it’s adapting is Caroline Wallace. She is executive director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. Caroline, welcome to the show.
Caroline Wallace [00:04:49] Thanks for having me.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:50] So can you give us a temperature check of the crap brewing industry here in Austin, particularly? How is it faring right now?
Caroline Wallace [00:04:56] I think the craft brewing industry in Austin is fairing pretty similar to the industry across the state and even across the country. Some of the biggest things breweries have been dealing with are rising costs across the board from raw ingredients to the cost of capital for barring and large equipment outlay, rising cost of real estate. But then on the other end, I think that vibes are good. It’s a creative, it’s a fun industry. I’ve been to three breweries in the last 24 hours, just for… Lunch today and for some World Cup festivities yesterday and and they all had great crowds So, I mean, I think craft beer is alive and well, but small business owners, you know face challenges
Jerry Quijano [00:05:35] Mm-hmm. Yeah, and you mentioned some of the trends of a rising cost There’s also the trend supposedly that Gen Z is drinking a lot less from your work Do you find that to be accurate and how our consumer trends sort of shaping demand right now?
Caroline Wallace [00:05:48] I think there’s been a lot of ink spilled about Gen Z and they’re maybe not just drinking habits, but like overall consumer spending and social habits. Some of the recent data I’ve seen is that they’re starting to revert back a little bit to the norm, but it feels like maybe a little bit of a slowdown in Gen Z drinking or socializing in general might be more due to the pandemic and just kind of those years of not really having the same social environment and then more just broader economic. Things, money in your pocket, you know, where are you going out as much when you’ve come into the job market and into adulthood and this economic environment. So I think our breweries are doing fun things to attract newer customers who might be coming out to breweries not because, not for the beer first, but more for the food, the experience. There.
Jerry Quijano [00:06:33] Yeah, maybe even for like a World Cup game like you mentioned right now, right?
Caroline Wallace [00:06:36] Exactly, or a plant potting night, or sushi and beer pairing.
Jerry Quijano [00:06:41] Yeah, or like a doodling night. We’ve heard about that here on Austin Signal. Just maybe more of a chance to socialize first and then drink beer after.
Caroline Wallace [00:06:49] Exactly, yeah.
Jerry Quijano [00:06:50] OK, so you mentioned some of the challenges facing the industry right now. Tell us about some of the other ones that you’re seeing in your work.
Caroline Wallace [00:06:57] Yeah, craft breweries sit at a really unique kind of intersection between manufacturing, small manufacturing and hospitality, right? Both of those industries or industries have been hit pretty hard by the pandemic, and then just the economic and trade environment that we’ve been in, you know, since then in recent years. So for breweries, the cost of, you, know, stainless steel, aluminum cans, barley, hops, a lot of the key inputs that go into bring. Have faith! Tariffs, they’ve faced rising costs due to supply chain issues, they faced some of those agricultural products have been impacted by climate factors or even by like geopolitical things like a lot of grain is grown in Ukraine and that can impact the global market. So all those forces kind of coming to play at the manufacturing side and then on the hospitality side, you know, rising cost of real estate, customers may have a little less disposable income in their pockets. Those are kind of a lot of challenges that I hear from breweries that will say, man, business is actually pretty good, pretty flat relative to last year, even up a little bit, but just the cost of putting the liquid in the glass, the cost putting food on the plate, keeping the lights on, are the things that small business owners are having to weather.
Jerry Quijano [00:08:11] You mentioned a plant potting night, a doodle night. What are some of the other ways you’re seeing independent breweries adapt to this moment right now?
Caroline Wallace [00:08:22] Definitely thinking beyond beer and more about the totality of that customer experience and creating a taproom that brings folks out, whether it’s for fun and unique events or for a meal or a beer. They’re thinking about non-alcoholic offerings, having wine programs, FROZENS, anything that’s going to keep that group of folks there maybe a little longer. Or choose to come to a brewery when maybe somebody in the group doesn’t drink or prefers a different drink because they’ve thought about all those aspects. And then on just the wild, wacky, and fun side, I mean, we have breweries now that have like sports leagues that operate out of them. Brewery that has summer camps for kids out on their property. I mean you name it, we’ve had breweries come up with some really, really creative ways. A brewery that’s looking into adding a horror themed bookstore, not here in Austin, but somewhere else in Texas. And another brewery is operating like an arcade. With video games and, you know, pay-to-play cards and stuff. So, definitely thinking creatively about how to be, not just beer, but a holistic brand and experience.
Jerry Quijano [00:09:25] Well, it sounds like there’s a lot of exciting things happening amongst these independent breweries. It’s easy, I think, to overreact when we see some of our favorite breweries closing down. So where do you see the industry moving forward here in the next few months to year?
Caroline Wallace [00:09:38] Yeah, I think there’s a lot of forces that are outside of small business owners’ control of any kind. We’re hearing that from barbecue restaurants and music venues. And anywhere folks are gathering, they can just be kind of subject to some of those things they can’t control. But what breweries can control, I think, is that guest experience, that environment, creating a neighborhood gathering place that folks love. And so I think it’s more that just a breweries are feeling a little bit how to maintain their own point of view and their own vibe and flavor, while also being kind of like all things to all people in a way. You know, like, come one, come all, watch the sports, eat the food, play the games, put the kids on the playground, you know, all the things. So I think just weathering, keeping costs in check to the ability that they can, and just trying new and unique things to bring people in the doors.
Jerry Quijano [00:10:29] All right, we have been speaking with Caroline Wallace. She is the executive director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild and Industry Group. Caroline, thank you for your time. Thanks for having me. And a few headlines for you today. Joshua Baer, founder of Austin-based tech company Capital Factory, died last night when the private plane he was in crashed on a highway in Laredo. Five other passengers were taken to the hospital and the FAA and NTSB are investigating. An extreme heat warning is in effect today across much of central Texas, including Travis Hayes and Williamson Counties. National Weather Service warns that heat index values could hit 112 degrees in some areas. And the season is over for UT’s baseball team. The Longhorns lost last night to Georgia in the College World Series, ending their season with 46 wins and 15 losses. This is Austin Signal, there’s more show coming up for you after this break. This is Austin Signal, welcome back. Every once in a while, we dig back into the KUT archives to share some of the great reporting that our newsroom has done over the years. With Juneteenth approaching later this week, we’re looking back at a story that was there at the start of an Austin Black History organization as it took shape in the summer of 2020. And afterwards, we’ll be speaking with the founder to see how things have changed since then. But now here’s former KUT reporter, Nadja Hamdan. Taking us back to an Austin summer six years ago.
Nadja Hamdan [00:12:00] It’s around 10 a.m. On a scorching hot Sunday morning in June, and Taleb Abdullahi is standing in front of the Texas State Capitol.
Talib Abdullahi [00:12:08] We’re going to abide by all traffic laws. We’re not going to be rolling any red lights. We’re gonna be respectful of all drivers and police officers. Thank you.
Nadja Hamdan [00:12:16] A 30-year-old black man is straddling his bike, his voice echoing through a portable PA system. That’s because he’s addressing a crowd of people, all on bikes.
Talib Abdullahi [00:12:27] Also, make sure to watch your speed, especially when we’re coming down hills, and also please make sure you social distance as much as you can.
Nadja Hamdan [00:12:36] They all showed up for one reason, to learn about Austin’s black history. Now, Talib is not a historian. He’s an event coordinator for Tito’s Handmade Vodka. So you may be wondering, how did he find himself on the steps of the Capitol, about to lead a tour of Austin black history, and Why are they all on bikes? It all started in early June. Taleb had just returned home from the protest at Houston Tillotson, where thousands of people had rallied for an end to police violence and systemic racism.
Talib Abdullahi [00:13:10] I was thinking that night, like, man, it would be really cool to tie all this energy of everyone coming out in the streets with something that’s fun, like bike riding, which I love. It’s my biggest hobby of all time, and connect it with black history.
Nadja Hamdan [00:13:26] Taleb says he has a passion for both history and cycling, and he thought this would be a good way to sustain, quite literally, the momentum of the last two weeks.
Talib Abdullahi [00:13:36] I kind of got on Google Maps that night and I was like, hmm, I think I could make this route go just about 8.46 miles and make it in honor of George Floyd and just kind of tie everything together.
Nadja Hamdan [00:13:47] Eight minutes and 46 seconds was the amount of time a Minneapolis police officer had his knee on Floyd’s neck. Floyd was a black man, and his death sparked nationwide protests against police brutality, including the ones in Austin. Taleb’s route stretched from west to east Austin and would feature 12 historical sites significant to black history. This includes the Texas African-American History Memorial at the Capitol, the Haskell House in Clarksville, and the old Jacob Fontaine building in West Campus.
Talib Abdullahi [00:14:20] Jacob Fontaine, who’s one of my favorite figures in Austin’s black history. We started like the gold dollar press and tried to help lift up a lot of the freed slaves and people in the African-American community.
Nadja Hamdan [00:14:32] Tullip figured he’d have 20 or 30 of his friends join him on the ride, so he posted the idea on his personal Instagram story the next morning.
Talib Abdullahi [00:14:40] And it just snowballed.
Nadja Hamdan [00:14:43] Within a few hours, a screenshot of his post was making its way across Instagram, then Facebook, even some local bike shops were sharing it.
Talib Abdullahi [00:14:52] Initially, I was like, whoa, I didn’t plan for that. You know, I did not plan for it to be that big.
Nadja Hamdan [00:14:56] He didn’t know how many people would actually show up, but he wanted to be prepared for more than 30. So what started as a simple bike ride with friends soon turned into a grassroots led initiative, bringing together people from all across the community. His friends rallied behind him and within a week, they had a whole team of volunteers. Cyclists from different clubs offered to help keep the riders safe and hydrated on the road. A coffee shop donated free cold brew. Pedicabbers promised to be there for people who were not able to ride bikes.
Talib Abdullahi [00:15:27] There was just a huge outpouring from the community and it was really heartwarming. People willing to donate their time and that was really beautiful, really amazing.
Nadja Hamdan [00:15:40] It was the Sunday of the ride, exactly one week after the protest at Houston Tillotson. The invite had specified a 10 a.m. Meeting time, but Talib arrived at the Capitol early and waited to see just how many people would actually show up. The bikes started rolling in, and they didn’t stop. By the time Talib started talking, there was a sea of more than 400 mass cyclists crowding both lanes of 11th Street. It was so busy that at one point, the volunteers had to start directing them down the sides of the sidewalk so cars could pass.
Talib Abdullahi [00:16:14] This really means a lot. I put this out literally on Monday, and I was just like, yo, like, let’s ride bikes and learn about black history. And it accidentally went viral and you guys are here now.
Nadja Hamdan [00:16:27] Donald Davis is a founding member of the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Austin. It’s a group made up of majority black cyclists. The club’s namesake actually honors Major Taylor, the first black man to win a cycling world championship in 1899. Davis was there with his fellow club members donating their time to make sure everything ran smoothly during the tour.
Donald Davis [00:16:48] I just saw more and more people coming in, and when the cops blocked off the area, I was like, dude, this is going to be huge.
Nadja Hamdan [00:16:55] He says it was remarkable to see so many people from all different backgrounds come together for this ride.
Donald Davis [00:17:01] It was so nice to see Austin show up. I just, I have never, I’ve been here since 91. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that kind of brotherhood and sisterhood except for like an MLK march. That’s about it.
Nadja Hamdan [00:17:14] Now, Taleb says he’s not one for public speaking, but he felt very inspired that so many people turned out with the intention to learn.
Talib Abdullahi [00:17:23] I kind of told myself going into this that if this is the amount of attention that this specific activity is getting, then the people want it and it’s something people need. So it almost like didn’t matter how many people showed up. It was really just that people wanted to be there.
Nadja Hamdan [00:17:40] From the seat of his bike, Talib began telling stories about the black experience. And when he spoke, the cyclists were quiet, save the occasional ringing of bicycle bells. 25-Year-old Jimena Gamboa Bonilla was one of the writers who took the tour. She says she’s often been disappointed with what she perceives as a one-sided, often whitewashed narrative associated with much of Austin’s history.
Gamboa Bonilla [00:18:07] At one point it stops being lack of awareness and it starts being willingly ignorant.
Nadja Hamdan [00:18:14] But she says this ride changed something for her. The day was hot and the hills merciless, and still hundreds of people were pumping their legs and sweating their way to the next stop and the next top and the stop.
Gamboa Bonilla [00:18:27] It was so beautiful. It made me realize, wow, there are 400 other humans here that are willing to ride in the middle of the summer. It kind of gave me more hope that in Austin, there’s people care.
Nadja Hamdan [00:18:45] Olive shared the entire route online so people can take the tour themselves. But after seeing the turnout in Austin, plans are in motion to create Black History social rides in other cities, like Houston, Tulsa, and Detroit.
Talib Abdullahi [00:18:59] I, if anything, would hope to be giving people tools to learn this history themselves and help people, you know, give them an opportunity to understand their own city a little bit better.
Nadja Hamdan [00:19:10] Ultimately, Taleb says he just hopes to inspire more people to seek out the Black, Latinx, and Indigenous stories in their own communities.
Talib Abdullahi [00:19:20] If we can create avenues for people to do that, that’s a win in my book.
Nadja Hamdan [00:19:27] Nadi Hamdan, KUT News.
Jerry Quijano [00:19:33] And again, that story was produced back in 2020, a reach back into the KUT archives. And joining us now in studio is Talib Abdulahi, creator of Black History Bike Ride. Talib, thank you for being on the show. Yeah, thank for having me. So first off, listening back to that story, how wild is it to think about how far you’ve come since then?
Talib Abdullahi [00:19:52] You know, we couldn’t have really imagined that Black History Bike Ride took off from that very first moment. And even at that moment looking forward, we couldn t have imagined to be so blessed and fortunate to be able to continue what we’ve been doing all these years.
Jerry Quijano [00:20:07] Yeah, now we’re here in 2026, so let’s update the audience a little bit. What has changed about your bike ride and what has stayed the same all these years later?
Talib Abdullahi [00:20:16] Well, everything’s about community. Everything’s about history. Everything is about telling the truth, but also about creating kind of an uplifting and fun environment for people to gather and be together in. So we’re 100% community powered. We still think like a grassroots organization, but we are fully formed 501c3. We’ve been fortunate to receive grants like from the city of Austin and other numerous local orgs. So we’re really fortunate that we’ve been able to kind of build this sustainable education and tool to teach about black history in our city.
Jerry Quijano [00:20:53] Speaking of our city, it’s one that is changing constantly, and since your rides have started back in 2020, has the changes around Austin affected your bike ride?
Talib Abdullahi [00:21:02] You know, yes and no. I think, you know, the changes and the more that people both move here and move away, I feel like it explains, it’s the reason why we do this. You know like as the city changes, what I’ve learned over the years is that like the more people that can help be torchbearers, you know it doesn’t all fall on one person or you know one institution to act as historians. Everyone should take a vested interest in both. Teaching but also learning about the city and then sharing those stories with other people.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:35] What do you think for you has been the most surprising thing about doing this ride year after year?
Talib Abdullahi [00:21:40] That people want to show up in the heat and learn about history. Our Hallmark event usually is on Juneteenth, and somehow that always ends up being one of the hottest days of the year, but yet we persist. We have a wonderful team of volunteers, and now we have part-time staff, too, to help coordinate things. We actually have an EMS Code 4 and EMS service that’s going to come out this year. So. We’ve learned how to be both strategic while still being kind of fun, scrappy in the fun ways, but professional and organized to like where it makes sense.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:13] And another thing that’s come out of Black History Bike Ride is a film that’s premiering tonight that you are featured in. It’s called Cycles of Resilience, a journey through Austin’s black history. How did you get involved with making a film out of your bike ride?
Talib Abdullahi [00:22:26] So this is actually our second film. Oh, really? Yeah. Our first one is called The Route to Emancipation. Okay. We essentially kind of had this crazy idea to do a bike ride from Austin to Galveston to raise awareness of the Juneteenth holiday, which Galvestan plays a really important role in. So we rode from the Capitol to Galvaston and filmed a short documentary on it. That’s actually on PBS right now. And so that was just kind of shooting from the hip, doing something fun and And that, I think, you know, because of that, we were able to do some fundraising also from the city of Austin to essentially create a documentary where the viewer is able to follow our bike ride initiative and both learn about like what we’re doing kind of at the grassroots level to share black history. And also to kind of get a deeper dive into a lot of the history from a lot of different professors, historians and community members that we interviewed.
Jerry Quijano [00:23:19] Okay, so the first one’s called The Root to Emancipation, and that’s on PBS right now, you said? And the new one, Cycles of Resilience, is premiering tonight. Where is that happening? It’s premiering at Austin Film Society. Okay, and I believe that’s at seven o’clock. If folks can’t get out tonight, though, there is a bike ride happening this weekend. Give us the details.
Talib Abdullahi [00:23:37] Yeah, so on Sunday, the 21st, we’re going to have our seventh annual Juneteenth social ride leaving from the Haskell House at 10 a.m. And that ride will stop at various locations with some really interesting important black history and then we’ll end that with a nice little block party over on the east side at Boggy Creek Farm on Lyons Road. That should be around 1 p.m
Jerry Quijano [00:23:59] But let me ask you before you get out of here. There are a lot of new people that have moved to Austin since you started doing a black history bike ride or maybe just folks that are hearing about the organization for the first time maybe on this radio show. Where can they go to learn more and get involved?
Talib Abdullahi [00:24:12] Yeah, so you can check out our website, blackhistorybikeride.com. We’re the most active on Instagram. Our Instagram handle is just Black History Bike Ride. And we’re a welcoming, open, pretty laid back community of volunteers and folks that like to share black stories. So come out and see us somewhere. And yes, 7 p.m. At Austin Film Society tonight. Okay, very good.
Jerry Quijano [00:24:32] And I did have another question, sorry. Where would you like to see Black History Bike Ride go? I mean, you’ve got a couple of films now and people are still coming out and maybe even the hottest day, I believe. Thursday might be the hottest of the year so far and then Juneteenth is on Friday. Where would like to your organization go in the future?
Talib Abdullahi [00:24:50] You know, it’s funny because like the last segment ended with our hope to go national. I think there’s always that hope that’s easier said than done. And my hope is that we are having an impact in our community and we’re able to essentially share the legacies of like local community leaders in the black community who came before us who, you know, paved trails through the civil rights movement, you through the Jim Crow era. Um, so my hope is for us to go national and really far. And now it, for me, it’s like, if we’re able to really touch a small group of people very deeply, I think that’s the most important thing. So I hope that we’re to sustain that and do that over and over. And if we happen to do it on a bigger scale, we’ll have more opportunities. We’d love to do that too.
Jerry Quijano [00:25:32] Fantastic, we have been speaking with Taleb Abdullahi, creator of Black History Bike Ride. Again, we’re gonna have information about that film preview tonight in our show notes. Taleb, thank you for your time. Absolutely, thank so much. And thank you out there for spending the afternoon with us. There’s more from us at kut.org slash signal. We’ll be back at the same time tomorrow. We’ll talk to you then.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
