Josephine Lee

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Josephine Lee is Texas Observer's 2023 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 on Salon, Daily Beast, Truthout, and other outlets. She was raised in and lives in Houston.

Articles by Josephine Lee

A woman in a white dress and headdress touches hands with a monkey-like human in a dark outfit with gold collar and cuffs. They are standing in a woodland with rich red lighting on its foliage.

‘American Born Chinese’ and the Limits of Cultural Representation

The young hero in the new Disney+ show follows a familiar journey for colonized people, as predicted by theorist Frantz Fanon.

by Josephine Lee

Mike Morath sits in his office, wearing a suit jacket and button-down shirt without a tie. He is a white man with short brown hair and glasses.

In Houston Schools, It’s the Mike Morath Show

An audio recording of trainings for unelected school managers paints a bleak picture of the Bayou City’s educational future.

by Josephine Lee

An exhibit in energy tycoon J.P. Bryan’s museum in Galveston depicts relics from the Confederacy and the Civil War without mentioning slavery.

Those Who Don’t Know the Past…

The outcome of a fight to control a nonprofit group could shape the teaching of history in Texas.

by Josephine Lee

Photo of an armed police officer on duty protecting a closed campus high school

Students Pay as Texas School Districts Violate ‘Threat Assessment Law’

A Texas Observer investigation found 90 percent of districts fail to comply with a law that requires mental-health intervention for students of concern.

by Josephine Lee

Four Black women gather outside in Austin with signs reading "Reject School Vouchers" and "Respect our public schools". Vouchers, along with property tax cuts, threaten public schools already overwhelmed by teacher attrition.

‘We Are in a Crisis’: Texas Public Schools on the Edge

Vouchers and property tax cuts strike at a public school system already hemorrhaging hard-working employees.

by Josephine Lee

The Angel Gabrielle and Baal in Hail Mary. A woman touches a man on the face tenderly, and her hand is glowing with a strange blue light.

A Border Crossing with the Devil

Hail Mary, which premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, reframes the immigration crisis through a supernatural, biblical lens.

by Josephine Lee

Three people gather at a winter-time protest, wearing cold-weather clothes, to protest the Houston ISD takeover. Two hold signs that read "Stop the Takeover" while another is holding a sign that says "Starr Does NOT Define Me".

Houston ISD Takeover Is a Trojan Horse for Privatization

Leaders of low-income communities of color worry the state’s power grab could deepen inequalities.

by Josephine Lee

The facade of Conroe High School and its parking lot, under an ominous gray sky. Conroe ISD had the highest number of expulsions, as zero tolerance policies make a comeback.

A ‘Dark Vision’ of Discipline: Zero Tolerance Makes a Comeback

Texas is already expelling more at-risk students and the Texas Legislature may make things worse.

by Josephine Lee

A Christian youth protester confronts supporters of LGBTQ+ people outside a "drag brunch" in the Dallas area. Seen from behind, we just see his hand in a suit jacket holding a rosary, as he stands behind an American flag.

The New Children’s Crusade: Recruiting for America’s Culture War

Powerful interests are sending Texas youth out to do battle against LGBTQ+ people, abortion, and progressive causes.

by Josephine Lee

Abbott Wants to Deny Undocumented Kids a Public Education

A new bill would prohibit children not authorized to be in the country from attending public school.

by Josephine Lee