The founding chair of the African and African Diaspora Studies Department at the University of Texas will be the keynote speaker for “Growing Your Roots 2020: The Inaugural African American Genealogy Conference of Austin, Texas.”

Edmund “Ted” Gordon, who is Vice Provost for Diversity in addition to his faculty position, has for years led students and visitors to campus on a “Racial Geography Tour” that takes an in-depth look at the University’s racial history.

Gordon’s talk will be followed by a screening of “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin,” a film about the visionary strategist and activist who has been called “the unknown hero” of the civil rights movement.

Registration and a full schedule for the free four-day conference online.

Location: Austin Public Library, Special Events Center, 710 W. Cesar Chavez St., 78701