AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin City Council voted Thursday to rename Lamar Beach at Town Lake Metro Park to Volma Overton Sr. Shores at Town Lake Metro Park.
The park's new name honors Volma Overton Sr., who was the cousin of beloved Austinite Richard Overton and a renowned Austin civil rights leader. City council voted to rename the park after Volma Overton Sr. "to recognize the civil rights leader’s legacy and his contributions toward creating a more equitable and inclusive Austin."
City council members Kathie Tovo, Natasha Harper-Madison, Pio Renteria, Leslie Pool and Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter sponsored the item on the City's agenda.
“Volma Overton Sr. is a treasured figure in the history of Austin’s fight for civil rights, and his memory will be celebrated by Austinites for generations as they enjoy this park,” said Council Member Kathie Tovo, the item’s sponsor. “This recognition will highlight and amplify Volma Overton Sr.’s commitment to a better and more just Austin as well as remind the broader community of the additional work and restorative actions that must be done to honor Volma Overton Sr.’s legacy and vision for a more equitable and inclusive Austin for all.”
In 2019, KVUE's Quita Culpepper profiled Volma Overton Sr. for Black History Month.
In the 60s and 70s, Volma Overton Sr. served as president of Austin's NAACP. Volma Overton Sr. also went on to fight against racial segregation in Austin schools and won. He filed a federal lawsuit in the 1970s and it took 13 years before a federal court finally declared Austin ISD desegregated.
Kim Overton, Volma Overton Sr.'s granddaughter, said his work in the community for equal rights and opportunities for minorities inspired her.
"I'm incredibly excited that Volma Overton Sr.’s legacy will be kept alive in the heart of Austin," Kim Overton said. "It's easy to forget the work those before us did to help improve our communities, but now residents of Austin, newbies or natives, will have a beautiful reminder of this gentle leader’s infinite passion to improve the lives of Austin’s black and minority residents.”
Council member Natasha Harper-Madison described Volma Overton Sr.'s legacy as "immeasurable."
"His courageous leadership helped close the book on Jim Crow in Austin and continues to serve as the gold standard for community service across our city. I’m so proud to join my colleagues and our constituents in giving him and his family this overdue honor that will elevate his undying memory for generations to come,” Harper-Madison said.
Council member Sabino “Pio” Renteria called Volma Overton Sr. "a champion of racial justice here in Austin" and critical role player in the Civil Rights Movement.
"We are proud to celebrate Mr. Overton Sr.’s accomplishments through the renaming of Lamar Beach to ‘Volma Overton Sr. Shores at Town Lake Metro Park,’" Renteria said.
“Volma Overton Sr. was a champion for civil rights, desegregation and many other important community issues. I'm delighted to see his memory and legacy honored,” Mayor Pro Tem Member Alison Alter added.
Council member Leslie Pool said, “Volma Overton Sr. is a hero for Austin and our surrounding communities; his work to desegregate and open our public schools, places of worship, and recreational spaces to all will now be recognized and celebrated in a very prominent place in our city.”
Volma Overton Sr. passed away in 2005 and is buried next to his cousin, Richard Overton, at Texas State Cemetery in East Austin.
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