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Former Texas Longhorn Emmanuel Acho has moved from the football field to the internet and is now the host of "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man." Here he is joined by fellow Austinite and Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey to talk about race, Black Lives Matter and the responsibility white people have to help address inequality in America.
<div id="84f72" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="724a49af446a9b07ab65cb192dbbbda3"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1270506091676303360" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Matthew @McConaughey sits down to have an Uncomfortable Conversation with a Black Man. Enjoy & share https://t.co/1axueAFIyu</div> — Emmanuel Acho (@Emmanuel Acho)<a href="https://twitter.com/thEMANacho/statuses/1270506091676303360">1591747231.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Since George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May, <a href="https://austonia.com/city/austin-police-brutality-protest-sunday" data-linked-post="2646162122" target="_blank">widespread protests</a> have brought the subject of America's racial injustices to the forefront of the national conversation.</p><div id="e6304" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5a94f8ceb4cc7a0d893e16e078598986"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1267609472589090816" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Dear white people,
For days you’ve asked me what you can do to help. I’ve finally found an answer.
Let your guard… https://t.co/8OER2qi8ez</div> — Emmanuel Acho (@Emmanuel Acho)<a href="https://twitter.com/thEMANacho/statuses/1267609472589090816">1591056623.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Acho's show has taken off since it debuted a week ago. Episode 1 has already had over 485,000 views on YouTube and Acho's Twitter has become a place for thousands more to talk about their experiences. On "<a href="https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1270714104664043522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1270715700038909955&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kvue.com%2Farticle%2Fnews%2Feducation%2Faustin-texas-race-black-man-uncomfortable-conversations-emmanuel-acho-ut%2F269-67e7ced6-af56-4a70-b9b2-d8e3a443e127" target="_blank">Good Morning America</a>" this morning, Acho talked about the success of his videos, saying, "what it means is that hearts are open, minds are ready to be turned, lives are ready to be changed." </p><p>Acho <a href="https://twitter.com/thEMANacho/status/1270695123991564288" target="_blank">announced this morning</a> that he is leaving his position as a sports analyst at ESPN for <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2020/06/10/emmanuel-acho-leaves-espn-for-fox-sports/5332564002/" target="_blank">a role at Fox Sports'</a> "Speak for Yourself."<br></p>
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Nearly 50 Austin musicians got together through the nonprofit All ATX to create the release of "Someday We'll Be together," a take on The Supremes song by Robert Harrison and Suzanna Choffel.
<p>The video, by filmmaker David Reyes, is meant to raise awareness and support for the city's musicians, many of whom are struggling during the coronavirus pandemic <a data-linked-post="2645924693" href="https://austonia.com/lifestyle/austin-festivals-canceled" target="_blank">due to canceled gigs</a> and <a data-linked-post="2645865019" href="https://austonia.com/fate-of-acl-2020" target="_blank">closed venues</a>. Proceeds from downloads and donations benefit the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (<a href="https://myhaam.org" target="_blank">HAAM</a>). </p>
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(John and Marilee Eitel)
Welcome to Austonia, a new, locally owned news company reporting on news, business, and politics in Austin. Like what you see? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our latest stories in your inbox.
Late at night on April 23, under the cover of darkness, John and Marilee Eitel drove around Rollingwood on their golf cart, planting signs in their neighbors' yards.
<p>They featured song lyrics from Willie Nelson ("I just can't wait to get back on the road again"), The Little Mermaid ("I want to be where the people are"), Talking Heads ("Home is where I want I want to be") and Bob Marley ("Everything's going to be alright"). One version included advice from Minister of Culture Matthew McConaughey ("Just keep livin'"). </p><p>"The next morning it was super fun to wake up and see the Instagram posts and Facebook messages and NextDoor messages with people saying, 'Have you seen the really cool signs?'" John said. "It started to get even more interesting because people are like, 'Look, there's more of them.' 'I found them over here.' It became kind of an Easter egg hunt, and no one knew who did it."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="03341a89d0770f45b13421e4352d607e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="af29d" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI3Mjk0NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1Mzc1ODI2Mn0.sWrvx_iFgRMlB3fbGwWcKZhUdK9XbSWROrJ4yapEOGs/img.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Rollingwood residents responded to John and Marilee's signs on social media. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(John and Marilee Eitel)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>John got the idea to make the signs a few weeks into the coronavirus quarantine, during which he got into the habit of walking along a four-mile loop in Rollingwood. "My wife and I started to see that as our outlet to the outside world and our chance to socialize and see neighbors," he said. </p><p>One night, on a whim, John broached the idea of making signs. He works for Canva, a company that makes graphic design software, and—after drumming up about a dozen different sign ideas—reached out to a coworker, who printed 50 and shipped them to the Eitels. </p><p>Since the signs made their debut, John has revealed his identity—and is now fielding requests from neighbors near and far. John placed a second order for 50 signs and then a third for 100 more. "It's been neat to see them popping up in lots of new neighborhoods," he said, citing appearances in Clarksville, Tarrytown and even on someone's boat dock.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9c238e35015b6c81368a50494ac5245e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="c2da8" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI3MjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTAyMjk5OX0.tIQ1L-jNBQgqI20kJuvuJtihanyjfE3BRxdhW5rdZ58/img.jpg?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(John and Marilee Eitel)</small></p><p>A Google form used to corral orders revealed crowd favorites, such as the Beatles' lyric, "All you need is love." John said he's enjoying the crowdsourcing nature of the project and making connections with Austin residents he might not have met otherwise, especially at a moment when our worlds feel smaller than usual.<br/></p><p>On Wednesday, John is expecting his fourth shipment, which will bring the total number of signs to 400. When they arrive, he and his family will help prep the deliveries, with Marilee delineating orders with Post-It Notes and their children driving them to their new homes. </p><p>"I hope that my kids come away from this with a really positive memory," John said. "How we were able to make a small impact on people's lives and bring some positivity into our lives." </p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzI3Mjg0NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzE2MTc4NX0._9PAi8sLrLhyuoMfGYdzNa10Y56hTcgmFTRbVoy8efc/img.jpg?width=980" id="22aa4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7af6bee4ab6a3857f9217a05fed89b61" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
(John and Marilee Eitel)
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Fanatics
McConaughey is offering his company at a UT football game for the "All In Challenge" (Fanatics)
Matthew McConaughey has signed onto the "All-In Challenge," he announced on Twitter yesterday, offering a "Texas Football Experience."
<p>Any amount between $10 and $100 will buy varying numbers of entries in the contest. The winner will get tickets to a UT football game and attend with McConaughey and friends.</p><p>The contest is run by <a href="https://www.fanatics.com" target="_blank">Fanatics</a>, a website that claims to offer "the world's largest collection of official sports apparel," and benefits five charities: Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry, America's Food Fund, World Central Kitchen and Feeding America.</p><p><br/></p><p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="88aacff833163bc562c8b45eed203110" id="e6c6e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1250471414588526593"><div style="margin:1em 0">hey yaâll, Iâve accepted the #ALLINCHALLENGE. Go to https://t.co/oCLLVTWD8J and donate for a chance to win a chance⦠https://t.co/e1zXky7znw</div> — Matthew McConaughey (@Matthew McConaughey)<a href="https://twitter.com/McConaughey/statuses/1250471414588526593">1586970592.0</a></blockquote></div>
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