Texas

John Fea 5-01-2010

Like it or not, the far-Right members of the Texas State Board of Education may have already decided what your children will learn about American history.

The Board is in the midst of a major revision to the state’s social studies standards. It is well known that textbook publishers cater to their largest clients. California, the nation’s largest textbook market, is bankrupt; Texas is the second largest. This means that, when it comes to teaching American history, as Texas goes, so goes the nation.
Two of the consultants hired last year by the conservative members of the Texas Board are David Barton and Peter Marshall. Both run ministries that promote the idea that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and use the past for the purpose of promoting Republican politics. Neither man is a trained historian, but their books are wildly popular among the Christian Right.
In January and March, the Board made decisions about who was in and who was out of the new curriculum. Since far-Right conservatives currently hold a majority of seats, they managed to push through most of the revisions they wanted.
For example, in state social studies standards on how Americans have worked to expand their economic opportunities and political rights, the Board deleted those Americans’ “racial, ethnic, gender, and religious groups” as a factor to consider—even though this standard was part of a larger category focused on “how people from various groups contribute to our national identity.”
Jill Holslin 3-11-2010

My friend Dan and I walked along Avenida Internacional, the four-lane highway that runs along the border between Tijuana and San Diego, on our way to get a view of the DHS border fence construction from the Tijuana side.

John Gehring 2-05-2010

Former President George W. Bush receives a pro-life award this weekend from Legatus, an organization of Catholic business professionals.

Multiple Authors 12-21-2009
Advent is with us again, calling us to reflect and review, and the Sojourners policy team wants to thank you for walking with us in 2009.
Liuan Chen Huska 12-18-2009
This Advent, the Church's cry of deep longing and anticipation for her bridegroom strikes a chord straight through my own life.
Catherine Cuellar 11-11-2009

For those who came to the Justice Revival's free opening night program (featuring former United Methodist District Superintendent and Texas State House Rep. Dr.

Eugene Cho 6-16-2009

Are you tracking with the developments in Iran? I'd love to hear your thoughts:

How are you processing the election protests in Iran? What are your thoughts and emotions?

Eugene Cho 6-05-2009

Welcome to the month of June. Did you know that May is considered Asian Pacific Heritage Month? Don't worry, most folks don't know or care either.

Alan Bean 4-17-2009

NPR's Wade Goodwyn has been working on this story ever since he attended the premier of the film American Violet at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hearne, Texas, three weeks ago.

Alan Bean 4-15-2009
American Violet, a Hollywood blockbuster that opens in theaters next week, tells the story of Regina Kelly, one of the people rounded up in a T
Alan Bean 2-17-2009
I moved to Tulia, Texas, in the summer of 1998, a year before a massive drug bust decimated the black side of town.
Laurel Frodge 2-10-2009
On July 23, 1999, undercover narcotics agent Tom Coleman executed one of the biggest drug busts in Texas history.

In response to a police crackdown on people living on the streets, First Presbyterian Church in downtown Dallas opened its parking lot as a safe space for homeless people to sleep—even provid