News & Commentary

Our fight against the Muslim ban showed the beauty and power of solidarity in America’s most diverse city. Now, we must continue this fight with immigrants and border communities in Texas.

Texas has a long history of voter suppression deeply intertwined with white supremacy. Learn about these five obstacles when casting your vote in 2022, but don't get discouraged. It’s now more important than ever to have your voice heard.

Students and parents in Magnolia Independent School District can breathe a sigh of relief that the district’s archaic, discriminatory dress code is a thing of the past. 

The challenges of 2021 are widely known, yet this year also had its bright spots.

Activists fought to defeat 98% of the anti-trans laws the Texas legislature tried to pass this year. But that victory, Adri Perez writes, is bittersweet.

When someone asks me where I’m from, I tell them I’m Rio Grande Valley born and raised. I was born in Harlingen, Texas and lived in nearby Elsa nearly all my life. Until I left for college at 21 years old, I had never realized how much I took the valley for granted; how much I love the food and weather, the livestock show, and South Padre Island. I have also come to realize how much I love the security and complexity of the valley. I grew up at the intersection of two very different countries, where a unique and collaborative culture has flourished over generations. I never knew it was one of the safest regions in the country, it was just something I felt both spiritually and emotionally.  When I moved across the country for college, I experienced culture shock. Meeting people from different backgrounds than the predominantly Hispanic/Latino border region I was used to pushed me out of my comfort zone. I learned and experienced new things I had never encountered growing up such as racism, microaggressions, and implicit biases. In hindsight, the valley was a shield that protected me. But ignorance is not so blissful, as they say. Being slapped in the face with the realities of present-day racism and prejudice in the United States has forced me to re-evaluate my own ideas about society. I struggled with the concept that I might be using the homogeneity of the valley as a form of protection to remain in my blissfully unaware bubble.

I did not know I was considered ineligible to vote. So a poll worker advised me to submit a provisional ballot. It never counted, but I was still convicted.

Texas won’t allow pastor to pray aloud or “lay hands on” John Ramirez as he dies.

One of the hardest things about parenting is the fact that there are so many questions and so few definite answers on how to best take care of our kids. As that tiresome old cliché goes, kids don’t come with instruction manuals.  When we’re in doubt, we can consult the experts. Though I’m a research psychologist with a doctoral degree, I’m no different from other parents in this regard. I also look to experts who specialize in child development for guidance.