Former staffers and followers of The Rag, Austin’s iconic underground newspaper of the 1960s and ‘70s, will host a reunion and public celebration on the paper’s 50th anniversary. The weekend will include educational events, exhibits, and workshops, along with music and social gatherings.
The book Celebrating The Rag: Austin’s Iconic Underground Newspaper, which includes more than 100 articles from the original Rag and contemporary essays providing history and context, will be released at the event. The Rag, which published from October 1966 to May 1977, was one of the earliest and most influential of an explosion of newspapers that grew out of the era’s revolutionary ferment. That spirit lives on in today’s Rag Blog and Rag Radio.
The premiere of the new documentary film “The Rag: Underground Newspaper 1966-1977,” produced by the group People’s History in Texas, will premiere at ACC Eastview Auditorium, on Friday at 7 p.m.
Friday afternoon events at the Eastview Campus include an interview with historian Doug Rossinow, author of The Politics of Authenticity, and panels on “War & Protest, Then and Now”; “Activist Journalism on Race and Racial Justice Struggles: Then and Now”; and “Being the Change: Religion & Spirituality in Social Activism.”
Saturday panels include “The Legacy of the ’60s-’70s Underground Press”: “The Underground Press Becomes a National Force and the Government Tries to Stop It”; “The Underground Press and the Post-Stonewall Gay Movement”; “Citizen’s Journalism from the Underground Press to Twitter and the Cell Phone”; “Fifty Years of Raised Consciousness: Women Sharing Our Stories”; “How the Rag Era Changed Our Lives and Communities”; and “The Struggle for Criminal Justice: Alternative Media and Grassroots Activism.”
A Rag photography exhibit featuring the work of documentary photographer Alan Pogue will be on display from October 1-30, Monday-Friday from 8 am-5 pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 10 am-5 pm, at 227 Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701
More information about the events is online, or contact Bill Gordon, reunion@theragblog.com.
Locations: Various venues, including Austin Community College Eastview Campus, 3401 Webberville Road, Austin, 78702