The Truth of History is often in documents that are hidden or not available unless specifically requested. For example, from a historical perspective of the Austin 1928 Plan has come to be known as a segregation plan, because it established the Negro District. On the contrary, it was the first City of Austin land use and zoning plan, upon which all city plans are based. The 1928 Austin Plan was a way for the City to maintain Plessy V Ferguson, where the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution, if the facilities for each race were equal in quality. This became known as the “Separate but Equal Doctrine”.

While two subsequent Supreme Court ruled against segregation, the constitution upheld land use and zoning. This allowed cities, including Austin, to maintain segregation. Much of the blame and shame of creating the Negro District was placed on Koch and Fowler, an engineering firm from Dallas. The members of the commission that selected them has gone unnoticed down through history. One the nine commission members became President of University of Texas; another has a major corridor named after him; one was a social elite who collected Picaninny Dolls and lived less than 50 yards from the Texas State Capitol; other members represented wealth, power; and their contributions are woven into the history of Austin.

The 1928 Austin Plan was adopted by the City Council in January of 1928. Not one word or statement at adoption indicated it created the Negro District. As a land use planning document, it focused on the urgency of creating a municipal airport (named after one of the voting council members), zoning, traffic plan, parks and playgrounds, fire protections and sewers.