When Will Texas Workers Finally Get Protections from Heat Exposure?
U.S. Representative Greg Casar discusses the timing and impact of a new federal workplace heat safety rule.
Josephine Lee
Josephine Lee is the Texas Observer's 2023-2024 David McHam Investigative Reporting Fellow. She has previously worked as an educator and community organizer. Her reporting on labor, environment, politics, and education has been featured in The Nation, The American Prospect, The Daily Beast, and other outlets. She was raised in and lives in Houston.
Articles by Josephine Lee
After Hurricane Beryl, Cooling Centers Were Few and Slow to Arrive for Houstonians of Color—Some Died of Heat Exposure
During the power outage following the storm, a shocking lack of support in vulnerable communities reflected a larger breakdown in coordination between the state, CenterPoint Energy, and local governments.
Mike Miles Moved Texas School Funds to Colorado Through a Possible Shell Corporation Without a Paper Trail
An Observer investigation has found irregularities in how the Houston ISD superintendent's Colorado charter school nonprofit did business in Texas.
Texas’ Plantation Prisons: Inside a 200-Year History of Forced Labor Shrouded in Secrecy
Punishments, injuries, and deaths—including from heat—on TDCJ farms are more hidden than they were in the years following convict leasing.
The Struggle to Fulfill Juneteenth’s Promise and Reckon with Its History
Sam Collins, better known as Professor Juneteenth, says his work to educate Americans about the holiday’s legacy is unfinished.
Houston Underdogs Beat Established Democrats in House, Senate Runoffs
Two community organizers-turned-candidates see their wins as a progressive blueprint for taking on the establishment and mobilizing the Democratic base.
After Special Election Win, Molly Cook Gears Up for Senate Seat Runoff
The ER nurse and community organizer wants to bring “the Capitol to the people and the people to the Capitol.”
Distillers Want to Decriminalize Making Booze at Home
Modern moonshiners are caught between the interests of the federal government, spirits industry bigwigs, and even the Federalist Society.
Standing Up for All Texans’ Stories
The new Alliance for Texas History calls for working everyone’s stories “into the fabric of Texas history.”
‘TxDOT’s Still Bulldozing Over Our Communities’
Community members say the state transportation agency is violating its agreement with the feds to reduce the discriminatory impact of its plans to expand I-45.