In 1955, Mansfield ISD was still segregated, despite the Brown v. Board of Education ruling the year prior. It was a small town, heavily divided by race, just outside of Fort Worth, Texas. In the first part of a two-part series, Khiry Duffey shares the story of Clifford Davis and Floyd Moody, two people who were critical in the efforts to desegregate the school.

On January 1, 2024, Texas Senate Bill 17 went into effect. Its purpose was to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs and iniatives at all Texas public institutions, resulting in the closure of UT Austin’s Division of Campus and Community Engagement and other programs and departments accused of promoting DEI efforts. The bill’s aim is to remove “special benefits” for students based on race, gender, and economic status. In this episode, we hear from UT students, former staff, and alumni about the effects of this bill and plans to challenge it.

Registering to vote can be tricky, especially because Texas is one of eleven states that doesn’t have online voter registration. The deadline to register to vote in Texas is October 7, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 25. In this episode, Sofia Vargas Karam walks through some of the difficulties of registering to vote in Texas.

Voting resources:

https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/21/texas-voter-guide-2024-election/

https://www.aclutx.org/en/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-voting-rights#s2

https://lwvaustin.org/Voter-Registration#gsc.tab=0 – 512-451-6710

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

https://movetexas.org/

Read Sofia’s essay about her voting experience: https://civicsutexas.org/first-time-voter/