Racism Wrapped in Rural Warmth
Staying in my hometown means facing subtle prejudice in day-to-day life.
Essay
COVID-19 Robbed Me of the Joys of Teaching
I thought remote instruction during the pandemic would be the worst of it. I was wrong.
Fragile Evidence
Bearing witness to stories about the death penalty in Texas.
On the Coronavirus, Loss, and My Mom’s Tacos
My mom’s cooking offered comfort as my dad battled COVID-19.
What the Black Lives Matter Protests Mean for East Texas
Protests where I grew up–where lynchings and KKK marches have occurred in my lifetime–could signal a shift in the region long plagued by racial terror.
The 10 Best Observer Stories of 2016: ‘The New Migrants’
In the harsh post-2008 economy, builders like my father live on the road.
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David Bowie in Aztlán
Forty years ago, Chicano students in Crystal City created a Bowie-inspired rock opera.
The 66 Percent: Erasing Mexican Americans in the United States
Why aren’t we going past wanting to educate MexAm children to have ordinary pride in who they are and where they’ve come from?
Texas’ Strange Brand of Cool
Revisiting 'Paris, Texas' — the film that made nowhere hip.