On March 25, the George Floyd Act (House Bill 88) was heard in the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety. The legislation is authored by Chairwoman Senfronia Thompson, Chairman Harold Dutton, Vice Chairwoman Yvonne Davis, Chairman Garnet …
I am a born and raised Austinite, a rare breed nowadays. Due to proximity, I have been roaming around the Texas Capitol building since before I could properly walk. Drinking Slurpees on the front steps, playing tag in the lower …
While training for my internship at the Texas Capitol, I often heard that regardless of how extensively I prepared, it would not equip me for what was ahead. After two months, I still consistently come across new situations no one …
It’s that time of year again where I remove my admin hat and go back to writing. Of course, I never stop writing as a PhD student and as a lecturer, but sadly my article days have grown short. And …
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
My experience in this legislative session so far has only fueled the deep-rooted rage and frustration within me that has persisted since the start of my social work education. For many of us, social work is not simply a career …
On January 12, 2021 the Texas Legislature kicked off the 87th Legislative Session. Long before the start of the session, myself and 13 others from the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW), began preparing for session with …
My experience graduating from the University of Michigan in 2010 made me realize the importance of representation. The lack of diversity at my university pushed me to go into education. I wanted to be a familiar face to other students …
Before I even started my legislative internship, the 87th legislative session was foreseen as a challenge, due to balancing the fulfillment of the democratic process while adhering to COVID-19 precautions. I spent the early weeks of my internship preparing by meeting with a myriad of groups remotely, reading prior analyses of bills, as well as watching …
We have been repeatedly told that this experience interning at the Texas Capitol will be fast paced, to say the least. We will be stressed out and overworked in ways that few people can understand. We have made individual self-care …
