Politics Archive
One Friday night in early March, after a long work week during the lege, I received a text message from a white friend. The noting of my friend’s “whiteness” is an essential part of understanding the lens through which I …
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 …
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 …
During my graduate studies, I’ve been confronted time and again with the perennial question, what is it you study? To dispense always, in tailored anticipation, political social work: i.e., “politics with a heart.” But what does that mean, exactly? Politics, …
As an eternal optimist, I believe people from different backgrounds and beliefs not only can work together, but this is how true progress happens and a better world is built. It became harder for me to keep this mindset during …
Earlier this week, the Texas Legislature kicked off its 87th Regular Session, as 14 University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) students kicked off their immersive legislative internships as part of the GCSW’s Austin Legislative Internship Program. For the first time in the …
