Indigenous

An Indigenous perspective on the solar eclipse from a traditional healer

In a long-running securities fraud case against Ken Paxton, a deal has been reached that will let the attorney general avoid trial or an admission of guilt.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in what could be the most important case on reproductive rights since the Dobbs decision, this time on access to medication abortion.
Autonomous vehicles are getting a lot of bad press. Could smart roads pave the way to self-driving cars and trucks? A smart highway in Texas may put that to the test.
Marika Alvarado, who describes herself as a “direct descendant of generations of Medicine Women: traditional native healers of body, midwives and plant medicine,” shares her Indigenous perspective on the solar eclipse.
And: A UT San Antonio professor has dubbed the upcoming eclipse “the most profitable 22 minutes in Texas history.” Bulent Temel joins the show with more.

‘The Killers of the Flower Moon’ is an Oklahoma story with Texas ties

There’s a much-anticipated film coming out next month. It’s the latest from Martin Scorsese and stars Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Texan Jesse Plemons also has a big role — playing a Texan from history. Commentator WF Strong profiled the story when it was told in a bestselling book with the same name as the new film: “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

A version of this commentary first aired on March 20, 2019.

Indigenous chefs take center stage at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion

Almost a year after the Uvalde school shooting, a new investigation by the Texas Tribune reveals it was the type of weapon used, an AR-15, that prompted officers to back off from the room where the shooter was holed up. Reporter Zach Despart joins us to explain.

A closer look at bills in the Legislature focused on hot-button social issues, including what’s being taught in public schools.

And at Willie Nelson’s annual food fun and music shindig in Luck, Texas, there’s something extra special on the menu: The Standard’s Kristen Cabrera has more on the Indigenous food on the table.

Las Jefecitas: using comida to sustain immigrant households.

Many immigrants have leveraged the delicious cuisines of their países as a means of income and work when they first arrive in the United States. Even before setting up a taco truck or even a brick and mortar, we see vendedoras earning their income by selling tacos out of their hieleritas in grocery store parking lots or wherever they know they’ll find foot traffic. In this episode we explore what motivates these women to leave their kitchens and go out into these parking lots. We discuss these informal economies and how they look in today’s digital age. We also spend time at La Mujer Obrera and Cafe Mayapán to see how the organization supports immigrant and indigenous women by training and employing them.

Texas Standard: March 31, 2022

A federal judge calls for an investigation into possible criminal charges of sex trafficking and pornography at a shelter for teens in Bastrop. Robert Garrett of the Dallas Morning News with more on an explosive hearing in a long running suit against the state’s foster care system. Also New Mexico prepares for marijuana tourists from Texas at that state’s laws on recreation pot change at the stroke of midnight. Angela Kocherga with the view from El Paso. And Texas’ role in the personal computer revolution. The unlikely story of the TRS-80, and the man behind it. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Where have Austin’s Indigenous people gone?

We spend a lot of time in Austin talking about how many new people move here. But most of us don’t talk much about the people who came before us — way before us. 

If you’ve ever taken a walk along Shoal Creek or gone to Barton Springs on a hot summer day, you’re doing something that people have done here for thousands of years. Because all of this was actually once — and in some ways still is — Indigenous land.

Texas Standard: November 19, 2021

More than 20 Texas representatives say they won’t be seeking re-election next year. The latest to announce, one of the most senior members of the house. Our conversation with Garnet Coleman of Houston on why after 30 years, he’s stepping aside. Plus from natural disasters to COVID-19, Army and Air National Guard troops have been on the front lines. Now signs of strain in the ranks of the guard. We’ll have the latest. Also a more complicated history of Thanksgiving than the story so often retold and how to talk about it with kids. Plus the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 29, 2020

A race watched nationwide as a test of how well democrats are positioned to take the Texas house of representatives. We’ll take a closer look at the contest to replace and incumbent Texas house republican in district 28: why all the attention, and what the outcome does or does not tells us about changing politics in the Texas suburbs. Also, with only days till the caucuses, where do Texans stand in the presidential race? Brand new numbers from the respected Texas lyceum survey. Plus a Politifact check and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 22, 2020

Just ahead of Super Tuesday, voter registration hits an all time high in Texas. We’ll look at what the new record setting numbers add up to. Other stories we’re tracking: governor Abbott’s decision to stop accepting refugees, widely panned by big city mayors and major newspaper editorial boards. We’ll hear why its playing out in somewhat unexpected ways in Amarillo. And Politifact Texas marks 10 years separating fact from fiction. All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard: