Betty Simmons, a Texan in Slavery’s Last Years
Narratives collected by the federal Works Progress Administration, like the one recounted here, are an invaluable tool for retelling American history.
History
Mythbusting Texas’ Reactionary Past
A new book doesn't romanticize our state's history, but it does establish a neglected throughline of solidarity.
The San Antonio Flood of 1921 Held Lessons We Refuse to Learn
There is nothing unknown about what triggered the brutal Hill Country flood of 2025 and so many others dating back to the nineteenth century.
‘Asylum as We Know It’: An Immigration Historian on Trump, Refuge, and Exclusion
After World War II, "People understood that if they had allowed more immigrants into the United States, many of them wouldn't have been killed in Europe."
How Texas Jails Built Migrant Incarceration
Following a 1925 investigation, immigrant detention in the Galveston County Jail was declared “a crime against humanity.”
Reclaiming ‘Friendship’ Across Borders
In reading U.S.-Mexico treaties, I trip over the word “friendship.” Ostensibly, it's like saying, “We are friends, so I’m taking your land.”
The Fairies Fiasco
The closest I ever got to meeting a real-life fairy was Gene Elder, who wrote and starred in "Fairies Fiasco."
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Fort Worth’s Forgotten Lynching: In Search of Fred Rouse
Retracing the steps of a Texan lynched in 1921 requires a trip through dark days in state history.
The Long Road to a Juneteenth Museum
Architects have made a Fort Worth neighborhood’s history part of the plan.
Unmasking the Klansman
A new book reveals the untold story of a Ku Klux Klan member’s literary double life.