On Austin’s official list of racist symbols it might remove: The city’s name

Slavery was the “curse of curses,” [Stephen F.] Austin said in 1831, but he had long understood that slave labor was the economic engine that would power prosperity for the territory.

He found workarounds to maintain free and forced labor to attract settlers and keep markets flowing, according to historians.

That acknowledgment surfaced last week in an official review of municipal property with direct or indirect ties to the Confederacy.

Its most prominent inclusion: the name of the city itself, given Austin’s work to perpetuate the institution of slavery.

On Wednesday, Austin’s Equity Office recommended the renaming of seven streets and removal of three historical markers honoring Confederate history, calling it a high priority for the city to decide.

The office published a second list, without recommendations for action, but in need of review of items grimly yoked to the Confederacy, including slavery, racism and segregation.

Austin’s name fell on that list.