Dallas Examiner, 5/6/10 -- “Whose history will Texas teach our children?”

The never-ending battle over historical memory has become a high-profile tableau in Texas. On May 21, the 15-member State Board of Education will be making its final vote on revised social studies standards that will largely determine what students will be taught about U.S. history—including such hotly contested issues as civil rights, the Great Society, anticommunism, and the separation of church and state—for the next 10 years. What has made this round of revisions a national story is the unabashed efforts of the seven-member bloc of Republicans on the Board to rewrite history with a decidedly conservative spin.

“[The proposed standards] serve a two-fold purpose,” said Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe. “One is to minimize Blacks and Latinos, their accomplishments, their efforts, even suggesting that the successes that minorities have had is a result of white benevolence rather than minority agitation.”

“The other part is that what they’re proposing would brainwash students. They’re adopting a curriculum that would teach individuals that the Republican philosophy is the proper philosophy in that they should become Republican.”

The NAACP has been one among a handful of organizations—others include LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), the National Alliance for Education, and the American G.I. Forum—fighting a rear guard action against the impending changes through impassioned testimony at Board hearings and efforts to mobilize their members statewide.

Dallas Examiner, 4/1/10 - “When I Rise: The compelling film of Barbara Smith Conrad”

Of the many things opera divas are known for—mercurial temper, exacting discipline, brittle performance standards—vigorously challenging social mores is not one of them. But for star mezzo soprano Barbara Smith Conrad, whose formative experiences as a singer intersected with the bracing, painful and ultimately liberating ways of the racial conflicts of the mid-twentieth century, prying open closed minds wasn’t just necessary in order to open doors, it was the predicate of her own artistic coming of age.

Conrad, born in 1940, is the subject of the documentary film When I Rise: The Story of Barbara Smith Conrad, which premiered in Austin at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival. The film documents her humble Northeast Texas origins, unlikely casting opposite a white male classmate in a UT production of the opera Dido and Aeneas and triumphant emergence on the other side of the controversy that ensued, one that went all the way up to the Texas legislature.

“The idea of just singing in my first opera was pretty thrilling,“ Conrad said from her home in New York City. “I auditioned, and went to class the next morning, and people stood up and started clapping … and I discovered very quickly that I had been chosen for that role.”

About Dido and Aeneas, Conrad said, “It was such a shock. One day you’re just a student, excited about doing your first opera and whatever else you’re trying to get through and learn, and suddenly you’re this … this figure. That Barbara Smith.”

Dallas Examiner, 3/18/10 - “A helping hand: Preventing foreclosures”

If there is a silver lining in this economic downturn, it’s the possibility that it might ferment new activism, as well as a new openness to bottom-up solutions during a time of what many perceive as a lack of leadership at the top.

Last month on Feb. 15, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. brought together a broad assortment of religious, business and community leaders to the Hilton Anatole in Dallas to discuss possible responses to the foreclosure crisis, now entering its third year. The event brought new attention to the continuing economic woes being felt by many in the greater Dallas area, but also went further by spotlighting the crisis’ roots in the failure of powerful economic and political actors—Wall Street, banks, the Fed, both political parties—to effectively stem the tide.

Eight days later, the Rev. Jackson, through his Rainbow/PUSH coalition, led a national rally against Bank of America, who he identifies as one of the main culprits in the crisis. “The problem was that when the money went to the banks, the money was not, basically, held accountable for them to put on the lending side. They actually put the money on the trading side,” said Winsor Barbee, a Dallas spokesman for Rev. Jackson.

Dallas Examiner, 2/18/10 - "Terri Hodge Found Guilty in Corruption Probe

Three months after former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill’s conviction for corruption, the sweeping FBI investigation has claimed another prominent victim: longtime state representative Terri Hodge. Charged with taking money from developers in exchange for helping them get lucrative tax credits, Hodge pleaded guilty to a lesser count of income tax fraud.

While it may be difficult to resist the temptation to situate her story within the all-too-familiar framework of political scandal, it’s worth remembering that, for many in District 100, Terri Hodge was a well-regarded representative for one of the most economically and socially stressed districts in the city.

“We voted for her, and campaigned for her,” said District 100 resident Mary Malone, “and I guess if there’s a good side and a bad side, the good side is what we all knew about.”

Malone, a district resident for four decades and president of the Las Casas Neighborhood Association, paints a picture of a concerned, active state rep who attended neighborhood barbecues, fussed over her constituents’ needs, and even saw to it that Malone’s dog was awarded a commendation for his involvement in foiling a burglary.

“It was little things like that that touched your heart,” said Malone. “It was the caring that we knew about Terri Hodge.”

Dallas Examiner, 11/5/09 - “We Examine: Interview with Craig Watkins”

Intro: The Dallas Examiner’s exclusive feature We Examine, looks at the career of Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins.

DE: In your short two years in office, you have not only become a Texas public figure, you have gained national notoriety. Are you surprised by the amount of media attention you have received? Do you think it is tied to the fact that you are the first African American district attorney in a state not known for racial advancements?

Watkins: I think initially it wouldn’t have surprised me that we would have gotten this attention for a short time because of the fact I’m African American. But after almost three years, the fact that we’re still on the national radar screen is a bit surprising to me. But I think it’s a result of the progressive policies we’ve put in place, especially dealing with the wrongfully convicted, which tends to cause the national folks to continue to pay attention. It is a bit surprising, but I’m grateful for it because it gives us the opportunity to spread the word on how law enforcement should be dispensed and the hope is that other agencies throughout the country will take note and do the same thing.

Dallas Examiner , 10/29/09 - “Rebuilding community’s trust”

On Nov. 3, parents, teachers and concerned citizens of DISD District 9, encompassing South Dallas and parts of downtown, will be electing a new trustee to replace the outgoing Ron Price. For Price, it’s the end of a long and at times controversial tenure representing a challenging district. For the board as a whole, the election comes at the end of a tumultuous year of budget crises, mass layoffs, and a controversial attempt—ultimately aborted—to extend the terms of three of the Trustees (including Price).

The campaign, a spirited contest among four would-be newcomers to elected office, has succeeded at bringing to the forefront issues of transparency and accountability (for Trustees as much as teachers, parents and students) that weigh heavily on the minds of those with a stake in the city’s schools. The candidates, financial consultant Rossi Walter, educator and consultant Sally Cain, longtime school community liaison Bernadette Nutall, and retired DISD administrator Juanita Wallace, differ dramatically in terms of their styles and backgrounds, yet each of them pitch their candidacies as offering voters a chance to return to the basics of leadership and attending to the needs of Dallas’ schoolchildren.

“The thing that’s most important to me is community involvement,” says Rossi Walter. “As a district, we have to take advantage of the resources that our communities represent—that is, the individuals, the businesses, [and] people who would donate their time and expertise, number one, if they believe that public education works and, number two, if we ask them to.”

Walter says that his campaign has been hobbled by his failure to win the endorsement of Alliance/AFT, who endorsed his previous bid in 2003. As a result, Walter must struggle to get his message across with a campaign that’s understaffed and underfunded. “I had endorsements last time,” says Walter. “Alliance/AFT was a big supporter, [but] they endorsed someone else (Nutall) this time around. A lot of things that they tackled before now depend upon me and the few volunteers that I have.”

Dallas Examiner, 10/8/09 - “The Jury Has Spoken”

It’s being called the most stunning political fall from grace in the city’s history. On Monday, August 5, the corruption trial of former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill ended with a guilty verdict. The decision has left many political observers thunderstruck, and has raised fundamental questions about the way business gets done in City Hall—in particular, the power wielded by city council members over development projects in their districts. The verdict has also left in its wake much anguished speculation about the fate of some of the important issues that Hill championed, among them the idea of minority participation in city projects. For the cynical, there remains the question of whether Hill was singled out because of his politics or race. For everyone, there persists the question of how to undo the damage.

Found guilty on 8 of 9 counts in the case, and facing years in prison, Hill continues to deny that there was any corrupt intent in any of the actions he took while on the city council.

“We were very confident not only about our case and how it was presented,” says Hill, “but we were also confident in our own innocence, and that justice and truth, when pressed down, would rise up and the jury would see that.”

Upon speaking with Hill, it immediately becomes clear that he foresaw a different outcome. “It’s been very painful. It feels like a kick in the gut. The truth is, we didn’t expect that [verdict] at all. We didn’t plan on it, we didn’t think about it.”