From KUTX:
Tommy Lee “T.L.” Wyatt was born on July 27, 1937, in Point Blank, Texas.
He grew up playing football, excelling at the sport and earning a scholarship to Bishop College in Marshall, where he graduated with a degree in business administration. However, Wyatt’s education extended far beyond the classroom; he came of age during the height of the Civil Rights Movement — a period that shaped his understanding of collective strength and the importance of community.
In the early 1960s, Wyatt served his country and received an honorable discharge from the United States Army. He moved to Austin in 1962, two years before the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, carrying with him both formal training and lived experience that would soon shape his life’s work.
Upon arriving in the Texas capital, Wyatt recognized East Austin as a thriving hub for Black businesses, culture, and community. He felt compelled to tell the stories of the people who built and sustained this vibrant area, particularly at a time when positive media coverage of Black life was rare.
Motivated by that vision, he founded The Villager newspaper in 1973 alongside his then-wife, Barbara, and a close friend, with a mission to spotlight the positive stories of Black Austin.
Accessibility was central to that mission; from its very first publication, The Villager was free to the community. Wyatt also believed the newspaper should be a platform where the community could speak for itself. Over time, he hired Black reporters, students, and community members to document Black life, leadership, culture, arts, and politics across Austin and Central Texas.
The Villager quickly became the go-to publication for Austin’s Black community. While its circulation numbered in the thousands, its reach extended far beyond the printed page, as copies were passed hand-to-hand through barbershops, schools, grocery stores, and Black-owned businesses.
The newspaper became one of the most influential voices in the region. Wyatt often said, “The community needed a voice,” and he made that belief his life’s mission.
His work extended well beyond the newsroom. Over the years, he did more than just cover East Austin; he became a civic leader, serving on multiple boards and commissions, including the East 11th Street Village Association. He launched initiatives like the Youth Brigade to support children’s education and became a trusted advocate for East Austin residents.
More than fifty years later, The Villager remains a light in the community. Even as technology transformed the journalism landscape, Wyatt remained committed to print, once saying, “People still keep scrapbooks of articles. We continue to do the work for the people.”
That work continues today through The Villager, which covers everything connected to Black Austin— from neighborhood events to the Grammys — and plays a vital role in shaping the city’s music scene.
Tommy Lee Wyatt passed away on Jan. 10 of this year at the age of 88, but his presence remains. It lives on in the stories he preserved, the voices he amplified, and the community he believed deserved to be seen, heard, and remembered.
His legacy continues through The Villager, the newspaper he founded to ensure Black Austin would always have a voice.
