The growing body of evidence shows
that doulas can improve health
outcomes, especially for black
women, who have a maternal mortality
rate two and a half times higher
than white women in Texas.
Birth workers want their services to
be accessible and understood by
more folks.
We've got more about them.
And the Texas Dream Act gave
undocumented Texans a chance to
attend college at the cost of
in-state tuition.
Now Texas public universities are
progressing through their first full
academic semester under new tuition
rules. We're going to hear from one
UT Austin student about the
adjustment and the future coming
up on today's show.
The Austin Signal is a production
of KUT News, hosted by
Jerry Quijano.
And we're going to wrap up a busy
weekend of sports across the
Austin area.
We've got those stories and more
coming up next here on Austin
Signal.
Howdy out there, this is Austin
Signal. Thank you for tuning in.
It is the last Monday of February,
2026.
I'm your host, Jerry Kikano.
Five days remain to vote early in
the upcoming March primaries here in
Texas.
Republicans and Democrats across the
state are deciding their party's
nominees for this fall's general
election.
Several statewide races are on the
ballot and voters are also choosing
their congressional district
candidates.
And depending on where you live and
your party affiliation, your ballot
might also include one of two
Travis County Commissioner races.
We have voter guides with more
information.
Those are over at KUT.org.
Austin is becoming a thriving hub
for doulas, advocates who
provide support for women during
pregnancy and childbirth, and
they're playing an important role in
statewide efforts to maternal
mortality rates.
KUT's Olivia Aldridge spoke with
Central Texas doulas about their
efforts to advocate for the
profession and the women that
they care for.
When Josephine Adegbate had her
second baby last spring,
all the stars seemed to align.
At a birthing center in Maynor, she
labored in a tub of water as music
played, and just when it was time
to push, a Yoruba gospel song
began to play, one of her Nigerian
grandmother's favorites.
Fuck it
And I was like, oh my gosh,
like, what are the odds?
While the timing may have been
perfect, the playlist was planned
with this day in mind.
By Josephine's side the whole time,
supporting her with water, towels,
massages, and making sure the music
kept rolling was her doula,
Alicia Rivera Clemente.
I was happy to be there and happy
to see that she was so
comfortable and felt safe
and you know she was able to
enjoy and really reflect on
what she just did like the powerful
thing that she just did.
It wasn't like this during
Josephine's first experience giving
birth just a couple of years
earlier.
She ended up having an emergency
C-section.
She felt pressured and scared.
I didn't know like the recovery.
I didn't like the way I was
treated in the hospital.
I felt like
I didn't really have a voice.
That's why, when Josephine became
pregnant again, she sought out a
doula.
She says having a judgment-free
person to talk her through her fears
and questions made a big difference.
There is no shame and it's like,
that's like your person.
It's like an extension of you.
Josephine's experience aligns with
a growing body of research that
shows doulas are associated with
better birth outcomes.
That includes reduced rates of
premature labor and fewer
C-sections, which can be
lifesaving but come with increased
risks when performed unnecessarily.
These benefits have been especially
noted for Black women, who have
a maternal mortality rate two and
a half times higher than white women
in Texas.
But doula services aren't
always accessible for everyone.
They've rarely been covered by
insurance, meaning they've often
been limited to people who can pay.
But in the Austin area, there's a
network of organizations that offer
free services for black and brown
women who could benefit from
medulla.
It's called the Maternal Health
Equity Collaborative.
Alicia worked with Josephine through
one of the organizations in the
group.
You know, if one organization
doesn't have the capacity, we're not
just telling you no,
or saying like, you know,
better luck next time, we can refer
you to somewhere else, and then it's
not just that referral
process of, hey, we just gave you
the website, we're getting you
in touch with somebody.
Directly.
It's an example of the kind of
coalition building that doula
leaders in the state want to see
more of throughout Texas.
Deanna von Bart held is vice
president of the Texas Doula
Association.
She thinks Austin's proximity to the
capital has bolstered the local
doula network and motivated them
to take an advocacy focused approach
to their work.
You have a freeing environment
to provide the services that you
need.
You have local representatives
who support and have a better
understanding of the doula work.
We would want to see what's
happening in Travis County
multiplied across
The state.
The Texas Doula Association recently
released the results of a first of
its kind survey of the Texas doula
workforce, an attempt to get a
picture of a profession that largely
operates outside of the traditional
medical establishment, with no
one single credentialing agency and
many training pathways.
We wanted to reflect the reality
of our community-based work,
which includes, I'll say, informal
care, unpaid labor,
cultural responsiveness, and
of course the emotional and
financial toll of supporting
families in a under-resourced
system.
The survey confirmed that Austin is
a hotspot for birth workers,
with almost 30% of doulas who
responded saying they worked in
Travis County.
Rural doulas were more isolated,
and indicated they could use more
support.
Across the board, doulas said they
still encounter a lack of
understanding from the public about
what their job is and why
it's important.
Von Barthold and the Texas Doula
Association want to make sure state
policymakers are I'm educated about
this too.
Especially as several bills related
to doula services have been filed in
the past two legislative sessions.
Having to.
Sit across a policymaker that's
going to say, okay, I'm gonna vote
on this bill, but I still don't know
what you do, is alarming.
The push to cover more doula
services through Medicaid has gained
momentum in recent years.
So far, bills in Texas that would
have introduced a Medicaid pilot
program have stalled in committee.
But other states have already made
it happen.
Around half of U.S.
States now offer reimbursement
through their Medicaid programs.
And for the next Texas legislative
session, the Texas Doula Association
is hoping to get more individual
doulas involved in advocacy.
Dula Alicia Rivera-Clemente
says that's something she's
interested in.
I'd like to get more involved
and become more knowledgeable
about how these things can
change and why they're
remaining the same.
The compensation to me doesn't
equate to the work that's being done
and the impact that's been made.
So I'd to see change there for sure.
But in the meantime, Alicia loves
the work she's doing, and that work
has been motivating for Josephine
too.
She wants other women to have
positive experiences with
childbirth.
It was so good, it felt
like I could do
it. I knew what I was doing, I had
support.
I felt heard, I felt seen.
And that's really what every woman
deserves.
As Josephine parents her two little
girls. She's also back in school,
hoping to work towards becoming a
labor and delivery nurse.
I'm Olivia Aldridge in Austin.
Oh
For over two decades, the Texas
DREAM Act gave undocumented Texans
a chance to attend college at the
cost of in-state tuition.
Now Texas public universities are in
their first full semester under new
tuition rules, which are at the
center of a federal court fight.
A lower court order siding with the
Justice Department challenging the
DREAM act is under appeal right now
at the Fifth Circuit.
And on campuses like UT Austin,
this legal battle isn't just some
legal abstraction.
Spring tuition bills have already
gone out under the new rules, and
students here in Austin and across
the state are adjusting in real
time.
Marco Julian Gonzalez is a
dual-degree double honors junior
here at UT.
He's also a member of Sigma Lambda
Beta, a Latino-founded fraternity
whose chapter has stepped into this
legal fight.
Gonzalez stopped by the Texas
Standard to speak with host David
Brown.
For listeners who may not have
followed every turn of this case,
I'm not going to ask you to try to
rebuild that, but can you briefly
explain in real
terms, everyday terms, what's
changed this semester and what
students are seeing in their tuition
bill?
Yeah. And I guess I'll pick
up in what we're not
seeing is, uh, thousands
and thousands of students all over
the state of Texas attending
these end state public universities
that they're admitted to because
they can't afford the cost of
tuition.
Uh, what we have seen is,
uh, some of the people that we know,
uh their tuition bills have spiked
from some, I
don't know, $7,000 for
a semester to about
$22,000 a
semester.
Uh, seemingly overnight.
You've described this as a
rare moment where student
organizations move
from legislative advocacy to
state rulemaking to now here
you are in a live federal appeal.
What did that journey look like from
your vantage point as a member of
this fraternity joining into
this
huge legal fight?
Well, I guess to say is we know many
people who are affected by the
end of the Texas Dream Act.
And I guess not the end because it's
still in litigation, but right now
it's not an enforcement, right?
And 57,000 students
across the state of Texas,
many of these students feel that
they can't speak and share their own
testimonies because of the
predicament that they're in.
So we feel the need to step in and
be able to speak for them, for the
people that now.
For the people that are being
called, I would say,
unjust labels, right?
These are members of Trinde Agua
or MS 13.
These are students that study in the
same libraries, go to the same
dining hall, go to
same rec here at UT
Austin alongside of us.
We know who they are.
We know they aren't.
Here we have the situation in
the court's Fifth Circuit appeal
still pending.
Can you give me an example of how
this is affecting the lives
of some of your fellow
students? Yeah.
Time.
I can give a testimonial, for
example, I have a friend who,
you know, she dreams of being a
doctor, right? She was brought here
when she was really young, went to
our Texas public schools,
graduated from Texas high schools,
remembers the Alamo, remembers
everything about Texas,
and they got here to University
of Texas at Austin.
This was supposed to be their senior
year.
They were expecting to apply to,
you now, different medical schools
to be a doctor because they want to
help save lives in the state of
Texas. And because of this,
she has all of her requirements for
her degree met except
for some semester or two.
And that semester or two is charging
her about $22,000,
right?
She and her family weren't expecting
that type of price, right?
And so now she's had to unenroll,
put her educational career
on pause.
Until we can see the outcome of this
litigation.
For me and my fraternity, it's not
about politics, it's now about
party.
For us it's about the people, the
people that we know in our lives who
are affected.
Marco, I know you mentioned
specifically that this isn't a
political thing.
This is about the impact on
others. And yet here we are
in a very important
election season.
Do you imagine that there will be
any political implication as
a result of these changes or
not so much?
What do you think?
To be honest with you, I never asked
that question.
It kind of goes back to as a, I
mean, we never expected to be where
we are today, right?
We never expected testifying
from the legislature, the state
executive committees.
We never expect it to be named the
Mise Curiae and the federal
circuit court.
It just so happens to be, you know,
one step along the way, here
we are.
We feel like we're here to defend
meritocracy in America.
We feel the political implications
Is that Texas Pride itself?
On the free enterprise system.
And these students did everything
that the state asked them to do.
Got good grades, studied
for the SAT, ACT,
to get to where they are today
because they're hardworking.
They dream to be an American and
they dream to a Texas
citizen. And that's part of the
implications of the Texas Dream Act.
Is in order to be eligible, you have
to commit yourself in sworn
affidavit to pursue
lawful.
Status. These people want to be
Americans.
They're already tax contributing and
so I feel the biggest implication is
just that, you know a loss
to the meritocracy in
our state of Texas.
That was Marco Julian Gonzalez.
He is a junior at UT Austin and
a member of a Latino-founded
fraternity whose chapter has stepped
into a battle over in-state
tuition costs.
We're going to have more in today's
podcast, show notes and at kut.org
slash signal.
And coming up, we're going have some
black Austin music history for you
and a recap of the busy sports
weekend that was here in Austin.
That's after this break.
This is Austin signal.
This is Austin Signal, welcome
back.
It is the final week of February
and all month long host Myles
Bloxson has been chronicling Austin
Music History for Black
History Month.
Today we're gonna hear about an East
Austin club that became a hub for
live music, dancing and
Austin's black community.
Charlie's Playhouse opened around
1958 under the ownership
of East Austin businessman Ernest
Charlie Gilden, located at
1206 East 11th Street in the
historically black cultural
district.
The building had previously housed
the show bar and the black cat.
During segregation, the club became
a central gathering place for
Austin's black community, offering
live music, dancing and nightlife
in a city that actually limited
where black residents could
socialize.
At a time when black musicians were
restricted in where they could
perform, Charlie's became part of
the Chitlin circuit, the network of
venues that actually welcomed black
performers across the country.
Throughout the 1960s,
Charlie's hosted live bands five
nights a week.
Austin native and local legend blues
boy Hubbard helped define the club
sound, alongside groups like the
Jets.
National R&B acts also made their
way through Charlie's doors,
including Hank Ballard and the
Midnighters. Famously known for
recording the original version of
the twist.
Come on baby,
let's do it!
But in the mid-late 1960s,
Austin itself was beginning to
shift.
While limited school integration had
started in the 1950s,
widespread desegregation of schools
and businesses did not take hold
into the mid 1960s.
And full integration would be forced
by federal intervention around
1970s.
As those changes moved through the
capital city, White University
of Texas students began showing up
at Charlie's.
Gradually shifting the dynamic of
the space long rooted in black
community life.
And when formerly segregated venues
began opening their doors to black
patrons, Donald Duck Jennings,
a former performer at Charlie's and
member of the Jets put it this way,
all the customers and the patrons,
they left and went across the
freeway. And by the 70s,
shifting demographics and changing
audience patterns were reshaping
East Austin.
In 1971, a cornerstone
of the black community and Austin's
first public high school for black
students. LC Anderson High
School was shut down during
court-ordered integration.
As integration continued to unfold
across the city, the city's
entertainment landscape also
shifted, and Charlie's Playhouse
closed its doors for good.
The building was eventually
demolished, and today a four-story
condo built in 2009
stands where the iconic East Side
venue once filled the night with
music and blues.
Even though Charlie's Playhouse no
longer stands at 1206 East
11th Street, its imprint on
Austin's music history is forever
woven into the city's story,
a lasting reminder of when East
Austin was the heart of black
business, culture,
and blues!
For more on Charlie's Playhouse,
visit kutx.org.
I'm Miles Bloxson.
This is Austin Signo.
And she said that she's my
first class lover
Well, it was a busy sports weekend
here in Austin with some
professional soccer, basketball,
and some UT action as well.
Here to help us recap some of it is
KUT's program director and co-host
of the Vamos Verde podcast,
Jimmy Moss. Howdy, Jimmy.
Howdy, and it was a busy weekend.
It's kind of a busy time in sports
in town.
This is a big city now, so.
It's a fun time to be a sports
enjoyer for sure because
it's the final week of February
which means we're ramping up into
March and March Madness.
So let's start with the Texas
women's basketball team.
How did they do yesterday?
Well, they continued their pursuit
of a top seed in the NCAA tournament
They they more than
doubled Mississippi State score
yesterday at the Moody Center 92 to
42 They are still ranked fourth
in the newest AP basketball
poll. They host 24th
ranked, Georgia Thursday here
in town and speaking of
Georgia the Bulldogs ended the
men's team's Five-game win
streak and threw a bit of a wrench
in the plans for the horns to coast
into the NCAA tournament
They beat Texas Saturday in Athens.
And now bracketology is of course,
this imaginary inexact
pseudoscience, but that's
not gonna stop ESPN and others from
paying someone to come up with these
numbers.
It's fun to be a fake bracket
ology in that
in that spirit.
Going into the weekend, the
Longhorns had an 80% chance of
making the tournament.
Now, after that loss in Athens,
they have a 70% chance and
they have a tough game this
Wednesday at Moody Center against
Florida.
Okay, well speaking of the Moody
Center, that Texas game took place
at one o'clock in the afternoon
yesterday.
There was a professional basketball
game the night before and it was a
busy weekend for the Spurs here in
Austin. You were out there.
What was it?
The I-35 series is
seemingly one of, it's a super
popular stop for the Spurs.
They come here and they pack the
house more so than they fill
the upper rafters of the
Moody Center, which they're not
typical for long-horn basketball
games. Anyway, both Spurs posted
double-digit wins against the
Suns on Thursday and the Kings on
Saturday, so Spurs
are kind of rolling right now.
They really are. They're heading into
the playoffs on a high note.
See if they can maintain that
through the end of March and into
the NBA playoff
Yeah, they're on an eight game
winning streak and tonight they're
going against the Detroit Pistons
who have the best record in the
Eastern conference So should be a
fun game. That's starting at 6
o'clock So yeah, there was
a lot going on but
the big go ahead
No, staying on campus though, real
quick. Defending national champion
softball team.
Went out to California and did what?
Defending National Champion should
do. They went 5-0 in a tournament
out there.
And they beat the likes of Stanford
and Arizona.
And they had a good weekend for
themselves. They've now won 12 games
in a row.
And the Longhorn men's baseball team
swept Michigan State over the
weekend. Big name opponent there.
So they're keeping their season
off to a good start.
And also pro volleyball.
Love, Austin.
They split a series loop,
beating Madison and then losing to
Atlanta.
So, and we haven't even gotten to
the marquee event because as
listeners know of almost Saturday,
the Austin F C began their
season over the weekend.
That's right. Q2 stadium.
And, uh, while, you know,
it is, uh.
They drew two, two against
Minnesota and there's some, some
draws that are feel like wins,
some that feel like losses and.
Minnesota did tie the score,
like, the last minute of regulation
time,
they,
I think most fans feel
fairly optimistic.
There was offense, there was offense
generated by Mirto
Zuni and Robert Taylor, who had
tough seasons last season, and
the fans let them know about it.
So I think there are moments
from takeaways from Saturday
that kind of keep most Austin
fans optimistic.
I think Minnesota was it.
Playoff team last year who knows
what they'll be this year, but you
know this reasonably good start
of offense for Austin FC
Last week we had your co-host Juan
Diego Garcia on the show and
he mentioned Mirto Uzuni
as a guy who maybe might have
he was keeping his eye out on this
guy especially with the signing of
Facundo Torres.
Like you said some draws and not all
draws are equal Austin FC did
put up two goals in this
one.
Does that make you feel a
little bit better about their
chances this year to put more goals
on the scoreboard?
There was strong build-up play
throughout possession.
Like, Minnesota was, at least last
season, a quality opponent.
There's no reason to expect them not
to be this season.
It was the return of Josh
Wolfe to this, he's
an assistant coach at Minnesota.
Oh, I didn't realize that.
Yeah, so it was, you know, there
were little tiny storylines
throughout, but I think overall
there's room for optimism for
Austin FC fans.
And that, they will, they
have another home game this weekend.
And that's another busy weekend
ahead for us here in Austin.
NASCAR is back in town at Circuit
of the Americas.
And the ATX Open, the Women's Tennis
Association event, is happening.
And that is taking off
Venus Williams, Tennis Great Venus
Williams and Peyton Stearns,
the ex-Longhorn, they'll be playing
tomorrow.
All right, lots happening, as
we said. It's a busy time
for sports fans.
Lots to enjoy out there.
That is KUT program director
Jimmy Moss. Jimmy, thanks for being
on the show. Thank you.
And thank you out there for spending
some time with us on this Monday.
Special thanks to Renee Chavez and
Casey Cheek for their help with
today's show.
I'm your host, Jerry Kehannel.
We will be back with you tomorrow.
Talk then.