“Theologically, community and relationships are the entire basis of my faith and the religion that I serve as a minister. I don’t know how we would do anything but work for other people’s rights and inherent dignity.” – Reverend Chris Jimmerson, a faith leader built, sustained, and guided by community The word “community” can often feel like a nebulous, impossible-to-define concept. We’re divided into communities by various identities, professions, or belief systems. Our neighborhoods are communities. Our public schools have their own community ecosystem. Some might consider their own fam ..read more

Easter falls on Transgender Day of Visibility this year. People will be bearing witness to the resurrection of Christ while celebrating the lives and contributions of transgender folks. To some people, the connection doesn’t make sense. But it does to me. Opinion Piece by Rev. Brooke Dooley originally published in the Houston Chronicle After all, Easter is the story of someone who refused to reduce people to a binary system. A person who lived his life so audaciously that he fed, clothed, held, and made visible people who had been told they were unworthy of love, burdened with sin, o ..read more

Val Benavidez became the executive director in 2020 after serving as TFN’s chief program officer and field director for almost 14 years. During her time as the Outreach Director and then Chief Program Officer at Texas Freedom Network, Val created TFN’s youth-organizing program, Texas Rising, which builds the power of young people of color through extensive voter registration campaigns, GOTV work, and training in grassroots advocacy. Whatever you do, do something, and don’t give up your hope! TFN and Texas need you.” Val Benavidez (she/her/ella), Texas Freedom Network President & Execu ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 21, 2024 CONTACT: Imelda Mejia, imelda@tfn.org HOUSTON — The Galveston ISD Board of Trustees tonight rejected creating a new policy under SB 763 allowing chaplains who are unqualified to act as school counselors to be employed or accepted as volunteers to serve as “mental health personnel and support” in the district’s public schools. SB  763, which went into effect in September 2023, requires every school district in the state to take a vote on whether or not to employ chaplains or accept them as volunteers in their school district by March 1, 2024.  U ..read more

Event photos can be found here. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 14, 2024 CONTACT: Emily Witt (she/hers), emily@tfn.org EL PASO, Texas – Civic engagement organization, Texas Rising, today hosted a Valentine’s Day “Speed Dating” event facilitating meaningful conversations on key issues between young El Pasoans and local candidates ahead of the March Primary Election. The event was put on by the local chapter of the organization, consisting of students from UT El Paso.  “We’re building the voting power of young people at Texas Rising through more than voter registration — we’re committed to b ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 13, 2024 CONTACT: Emily Witt, emily@tfn.org HOUSTON — The Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees last night rejected to create a new policy under SB 763 allowing unqualified chaplains to be employed or accepted as volunteers to act as “mental health personnel and support” in the district’s public schools. The district has previously allowed chaplains and faith leaders to volunteer or be employed if they held the required qualifications and credentials. The board affirmed this policy will remain the same. SB  763, which went into effect in September 2023, re ..read more

In a troubling first State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting of 2024, the new far-right chair yanked consideration of a new American Indian/Native Studies course from the board’s meeting agenda. Instead, the MAGA-dominated board addressed a different priority: patriotic math! Here’s your rundown of the Jan. 30-Feb. 2 meeting. American Indian/Native Studies Course on Hold For a year, the SBOE was working to add an elective American Indian/Native Studies studies course to the curriculum. Mexican American and African American ethnic studies classes are already part of the Texas curriculum. After ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2024 CONTACT: Emily Witt (she/her), emily@tfn.org AUSTIN, Texas – Senate Bill 4, which increases the minimum prison sentence for the state offense of housing or transporting undocumented people to 10 years, today went into effect. Advocates have criticized the law, noting that people could be punished for giving a coworker, friend, or family member a ride without knowing their immigration status. If the offenses are elevated to first-degree felonies, the minimum prison term is 15 years unless another provision of law applicable to the offense provides a longer ..read more

Content warning: This blog discusses historical racial violence. If you keep up with public education, you’ve probably heard of PragerU by now. Maybe you even followed the controversy when far-right State Board of Education (SBOE) member Julie Pickren falsely claimed it was coming to Texas classrooms last year. Let’s get it straight: PragerU is not an accredited academic institution. It’s a far-right media company that pushes misinformation. There are countless videos in the PragerU library intended for kids and adults alike that spew disinformation, minimize racism, and erase the contribution ..read more

To honor the anniversary of Roe v. Wade’s historic passage, we’ve built a timeline of Roe v. Wade, abortion restrictions in America, and our ongoing relentless fight for reproductive freedom. In 2022, just shy of Roe v. Wade’s 50th anniversary, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the landmark decision with its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Now, millions have zero access to abortion in their home states—and Texas’ abortion ban is one of the strictest in the country. But anti-abortion courts and policymakers haven’t stopped their overreach of power at overturning Roe ..read more