The Texas Observer is an Austin-based nonprofit news organization known for fearless investigative reporting, narrative storytelling and sophisticated cultural criticism about all things Texan.

The Texas Observer • A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES SINCE 1954

DIALOGUE

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE

TRIVIA TEXAS

TEXAS TALLY • The news, in numbers

TEXAS OBSERVED

STRANGEST STATE • NOTES FROM FAR-FLUNG TEXAS

EDITORIAL • Mess With Texas

LOON STAR STATE Ben Sargent

A More Progressive Prosecutor • José Garza represents a new wave of reform-minded DAs who want to end the war on drugs and prosecute police officers who kill.

HOW WE GOT HERE • TEXAS’ HEALTH SYSTEM HAS BEEN UNDERFUNDED, UNDERSTAFFED, AND UNPREPARED FOR YEARS. HERE, COVID-19 FOUND THE PERFECT PLACE TO SPREAD.

THE BLACKLIST • SCREENED OUT BY AUTOMATED BACKGROUND CHECKS, TENANTS WHO FACE EVICTION CAN BE DENIED HOUSING FOR YEARS TO COME.

Bringing the Dead Home • Thirty years after Congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, only a fraction of human remains held by Texas’ museums and universities have been returned.

How to Die in Texas • The funeral industry has long been characterized by shady practices. In Texas, the bereaved are starting to look for new options.

Immaculate

Quilts of Color • Laverne Brackens and her family carry on the interwoven legacy of Black quiltmakers in East Texas.

WHY I HIDE MY POETRY FROM TEXAS

EYE ON TEXAS