African American

Texas Standard: August 16, 2018

Back to school: it’s not just kids returning to campus, but armed employees. We’ll take you behind the scenes of the effort to train and arm in-school defenders against future shootings. Also, talking machines: San Antonio researchers using machine learning to help Texans who stutter. And an historic road trip with the Green Book as a guide. Texas monthly’s barbecue editor on the search for cue in the Jim Crow south. Also the cub reporter in Houston who saved lives during a hurricane by changing how we see those storms on TV. Heard of him? All those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Conversations with Momma San (Ep. 10)

DaLyah talks sex, black, Southern identity, life advice for those 20-somethings and how to not get fired from Burger King with her own mom in this short bonus episode.

In 15 Minutes, Barbara Jordan Built A Legacy

Andy Warhol summed up our modern, technology-driven world: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” But Barbara Jordan turned this idea on its head. In 15 minutes, she delivered a speech that gave her lasting, worldwide fame.

She was only 38 when she, on national television, argued for the indictment of Richard M. Nixon for high crimes and misdemeanors. Surrounded by more senior members of the House Judiciary Committee, mostly men with far more experience in government and law, Jordan gave a speech that was so brilliant, she stunned the committee and mesmerized those watching on television.

Here is how she opened:

“Earlier today, we heard the beginning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States: ‘We, the people.’ It’s a very eloquent beginning. But when that document was completed on the seventeenth of September in 1787, I was not included in that ‘We, the people.’ I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in ‘We, the people.’ Today I am an inquisitor. An hyperbole would not be fictional and would not overstate the solemness that I feel right now. My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution.”

Jordan’s Watergate speech is flawless in its eloquence. Few people ever reach these persuasive heights – you find it in Lincoln, and Kennedy and Martin Luther King. And you find it here in Barbara Jordan, a rare talent for setting logic on fire.

She was persuasive because she was anchored in the Constitution rather than anger or political posturing. Many worried at the time that agreeing to file articles of impeachment was the same as throwing Richard Nixon out of the White House without due process. She opens the constitution and teaches:

“It is wrong, I suggest, it is a misreading of the Constitution for any member here to assert that for a member to vote for an article of impeachment means that that member must be convinced that the President should be removed from office. The Constitution doesn’t say that.”

Jordan had a beautiful blend of legal and common language, a style that the man on the street can follow and be moved by. She tried to allay these fears by explaining, in Constitutional terms, that all the House can do is vote for impeachment, which is an indictment. The Senate must have the trial and decide guilt or innocence – and punishment.

She again follows the technical explanation with a simpler one:

“The framers of this Constitution were very astute. They did not make the accusers and the judgers — and the judges the same person.”

She follows this razor-like rationale, guided only by the Constitution, to this conclusion:

“Has the President committed offenses, and planned, and directed, and acquiesced in a course of conduct which the Constitution will not tolerate? That’s the question. We know that. We know the question. We should now forthwith proceed to answer the question. It is reason, and not passion, which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision.”

Nixon resigned a few days later. I don’t think he cared to face this inquisitor.

And it wasn’t just Jordan’s infallible logic that supporters admired and opponents feared. It was her divine voice and impeccable diction that animated that logic, seeming to place it beyond rebuttal.

I have a friend, Dr. Juliet Garcia, who served on a bank board with Jordan. She says Jordan “could read the agenda and make it sound profound.”

When Barbara died in 1996, having devoted her life to serving Texas, Ann Richards remembered her this way. “There was simply something about her that made you proud to be a part of the country that produced her. And she forever redefined what it meant to be a Texan in the eyes of this nation.”

Jordan’s life was truly a succession of firsts: first African-American woman to serve in the Texas State Senate, first African-American Texan elected to Congress, first woman to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, first woman to have a statue erected in her honor at UT Austin, and – this makes me smile – even in death she achieved another first. She was the first African American to be buried in the Texas State Cemetery. I do miss her. We sure could use her voice, and her logic, today.

Texas Standard: April 25, 2018

The governor calls for an emergency election in a Harvey hit district that’s also lost its Congressman. Does the maneuver pass muster? By November 6th, voters in Texas 27th district will have one, two, three chances to cast a ballot for their representative to the US.. House. Confusing? We’ll walk you through it. Also a new ruling on DACA and a blow to President Trump. We’ll hear what the decision means for young undocumented immigrants and the program designed to protect them from deportation. And the man president Trump wants to pardon, they called him the Galveston giant. We’ll have the view from Jack Johnson’s hometown and so much more on todays Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 4, 2018

April 4th 1968: a date that changed America. 50 years on, how do texans remember the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.? Two weeks before, a choir from Prairie View A&M performed before Martin Luther King at the Lorraine Motel where King was assassinated. 50 years later, we talk with the leader of that choir and his brother who led a reenactment of the event in Memphis. Also, the only African American owned bank in all of Texas expands to Atlanta. We’ll hear about the history of the bank and why they’re moving beyond Texas borders. And a ruling in a challenge to Texas motor voter laws. Those stories and so much more today at the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 19, 2018

The University of Texas and the Texas Tribune team up to tell us which politicians are ahead on the polls, we’ll have the latest. Also, is OPEC bringing in more members to better control oil prices? We’ll Explore the role of Historically Black Colleges and speak to the film-maker. Plus comfort food has a whole other meaning to families in poverty, we tell you why. And the art of Arturo Torres is putting Garland on the map, we’ll explain. Also, it’s president’s Day! And early voting starts tomorrow, be sure to Wear your red white and blue all week! Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 11, 2018

Deal or no deal? As a Friday deadline approaches over Iran and concerns about nuclear weapons, we’ll have a Texas researcher explains what’s at stake. Also, black girls attending Texas schools are nearly 7 times as likely to get suspended from school than their white counterparts. One possible factor? What a Texas A&M researcher calls the “adultification” of black girls. We’ll hear what that means. And Texas based AT&T says no way to Huawei, nixing a deal to sell phones by the Chinese company. Some smell politics at the other end of the line. Plus funny man Cheech Marin is serious about Chicano art, we’ll hear why he’s sharing his collection with the lone star state. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 3, 2018

North Korea wants to re-open communication with South Korea, and protests in Iran raise tensions. We’ll explore how the U-S might balance these dual crises. Also, the flu is going around. Doctors say wash your hands, stay home when you’re sick and, yes, get the flu shot – even though it might not protect you. Plus, if you’ve been on the roads at all this holiday season you might have this question: why do Texans speed so much? We’ll try to answer it. And a question for you: hows that New Year’s Resolution going? Feel like you’re about to burn through your self-control already? Some advice from Texas researchers about to keep your motivation battery running. Those stories and a whole lot more on todays Texas Standard:

Phill Wilson (Ep. 45, 2017)

In Black America producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr speaks with Phill Wilson, prominent AIDS activist and President and CEO of The Black AIDS Institute, a think tank with a mission of educating and mobilizing the African American community around HIV/AIDS issues.

Texas Standard: October 24, 2017

As Washington prepares to declare an opioid emergency, an Amarillo lawmaker is tapped to take on the issue for Texas. We’ll hear his plan on how to fix the crisis. Also, the recriminations between President Trump and gold star families, front and center in the news: but which is the sideshow? That controversy, or the actual events that led the the attack on American forces in Niger? We’ll explore. And Texans may love high school football, but most don’t remember where some of the best games were played, or who played them. The Thursday night lights finally gets some recognition, we’ll meet the man telling the story. And what we might learn this week about what happened in Dallas on that most fateful November day in ’63. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

12th & Chicon: Austin’s Affordability Crisis

Dr. Eric Tang is an associate professor at the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis at UT-Austin. After analyzing that data a few years back, Tang wanted to look more closely at why African-Americans were leaving Austin – specifically, East Austin. KUT’s Jennifer Stayton spoke to Tang about this new research for our On My Block series.

12th & Chicon: Churches Adapt to Changes

The loss of long-time East Austin residents is changing the look of some congregations. The handful of remaining churches are learning to embrace the diversity and changes within their communities, but some are left with no choice but to pull up their roots and move to a new location.

Texas Standard: February 15, 2017

President Trump calls it nonsense but the New York Times says Trump’s aides and close associates were in constant contact with Russian intelligence, before the election. Also day 27 of the Trump administration. We’ll break down the latest developments with a Texan who served on the National Security Council. Plus, a group of former US Ambassadors to Mexico ask the president to change his tone with our neighbor to the south. The foster care system is dysfunctional but what’s it’s like inside the system? We’ll hear from a young person who lived through it. And the forgotten african-american cowboys of Texas, saddle up, it’s Texas standard time:

12th & Chicon: Saving Emancipation Park

A parcel of land in the Chestnut neighborhood of East Austin was once home to the city’s annual Juneteenth celebration. Now, it’s the proposed site of a new development that neighbors say would undermine its historical significance.

Texas Standard: December 20, 2016

The assassination of a symbol of the old order. The rise of populist nationalism. Can history help us, or are we kidding ourselves? We’ll explore. Also events in the US, Turkey and Germany this week have millions turning to the past to help make sense of the future. A Texas-based scholar will try to help us make sense of the search for historic parallels. Plus deja vu in Corpus Christi. The latest water ban and by no means the first. As the taps reopen, out come the lawsuits and recriminations. We’ll have the latest. And charitable giving for political access. A Texas based group with ties to the future President comes under fire…those stories and a whole lot more, today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 10, 2016

On the weekend of apparent armageddon for the GOP, howls of outrage, but any change in Texas support for Donald Trump? We’ll explore. Also our roundtable of editors from some of the cities in Texas that don’t often get heard in the national conversation. And with mere hours to go before the voter registration deadline, a reality check. Just how close is it?. And we say there’s never been a political season like this one, but perhaps that shows just how short memories can be…especially if you lived in Texas a couple of decades ago…we’ll have a refresher, if that’s the right word. Also, are they predators, or credit repair services? What’s in a name for payday lenders? More than you might think. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 14, 2016

About this time each election cycle, we hear of voter burnout. But This year, the issue may not be apathy, but antipathy, we’ll explore. Also there’s no firm data on the number of Americans who claim dual citizenship, but in 2016, dual citizenship could be a game changer for the US. We’ll hear why. Also, one of the major big box chains is testing a strategy, one that could affect homeowner tax bills across the state. Plus it was, and in some ways remains a point of controversy in the Alamo city. But three years after the adoption of a non-discrimination ordinance, has it had much of an impact? Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 20, 2016

He’s the nominee. The role Republicans from Texans played to secure Donald Trump’s presidential nomination, we’ll explore. Also plans for a new South Texas family detention center are moving forward, without the support of many in the community. We’ll explain. And police officers in Dallas were targeted and killed, even though that department had fewer cases of officer-involved shootings than others. We’ll take a look at the facts. And one of the most sought-after advice columnists in Texas is revealing his true identity: we’ll introduce you to “The Texanist.” And what you can and can’t do legally speaking when it comes to getting Pokemon hunters out of your yard. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 8, 2016

A deadly day in Dallas. At least 5 killed, four police and a DART officer, and several others wounded. What happened in North Texas last night? Details continue to come in. We’ll try to paint a picture of what we know of events and how they unfolded. And reactions to Dallas, the governor offering up backup law enforcement and regular Texans offering up sentiments of shock and sorrow. Plus carrying while black. Does the right to carry arms put some people at greater risk than others? And veteran suicides. New numbers out this week that make clear the issue is serious. We’ll break down the statistics. We’re following these stories and more… today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 25, 2016

Did the General Land Office break the law when it asked ex-employees to sign promises not to sue, in exchange for compensation? We’ll explore. Also the University of Texas and Texas A&M have decided to drop their rivalry in hopes of going nuclear? We’ll hear about what could turn into a multibillion dollar partnership. And did Chicanos really want to destroy western society? A school textbook proposed for Texas classrooms says just that…we’ll hear more. And the view from Texas looking southward…and what looks like a shift to the right. All that and much more today on the Texas Standard: