The Baines Report
The Feminist Policy Alliance and the Texas Observer invite you to a panel discussion on Sept. 4 on the battle over women’s health in Texas and how recently passed legislation is changing the health care — and political — landscape in Texas. In a state where only 27 percent of the voting-age population participated in […]
A firm believer of the spirit of democracy found within the contours of the U.S. Constitution, Barbara Jordan aroused the conscience of a nation. The Lyndon B. Johnson School Professor of Ethics and Political Values most known for her deep, jagged voice was born in the heat of Jim Crow. Despite these prejudicial laws, Jordan […]
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. In that same year, Barbara Jordan lost her second election for the Texas House of Representatives. Two years later, court-enforced redistricting mandated in the Act paved the way for her to become the first African American to serve in the Texas Senate and […]
“See The Change: Pressing Towards Equality of Outcomes” “We are a people in search of a national community, attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal…. We cannot improve on the system of government, handed down to us by the founders of the Republic, […]
It seems that one of the major battles of the legislative session will come down, once again, to politics versus prudence. While the Supreme Court upheld most of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), it ruled that states have the option of expanding Medicaid eligibility. Although Gov. Rick Perry and other state leaders have adamantly […]
This week the Supreme Court hears oral arguments to decide if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutional. There’s no doubt the health reform law – commonly referred to as “Obamacare” – has been controversial. As expected, exaggerated claims and half-truths are again flying across the political airwaves. While it won’t be fully implemented until […]
Urban agriculture is somewhat of a fad in Austin. Drive around in Hyde Park or on the Eastside, and you’ll see small plots behind houses, in empty lots, or near a restaurant, often with a sign advertising an organization that can help a neighborhood or household get their own garden started. This isn’t unique to […]
Symbolically, female fertility and sexuality has been a direct target of some of the most gruesome violence during wars and genocide. The oppressor’s direct or even subconscious intention is to bar the survival of cultural and social reproduction. This is apparent in targeted violence towards women that involves brutal rape, some form of mutilation of […]
This has been a landmark year in gay rights. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed, New York became the seventh state or territory to legalize gay marriage and key public figures like Lady Gaga, Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama threw their weight behind the It Gets Better campaign. Although these are significant strides toward […]
According to the CDC, about one-third of American adults are obese, and obesity-related diseases are becoming a leading cause of death in the United States. Lack of exercise, increased portion sizes and a variety of other factors has led to increasing obesity rates in the United States. It has become one of the largest public […]