H-Town Progressive

Trans stories should be told by trans people. So this week transgender Houstonian Pete Makopoulos-Senftleber shares his story with guest host Lou Weaver.

Attorney General Ken Paxton and Governor Greg Abbott have opened up their party’s anti-trans reign of terror to the executive branch of Texas government and focused their cruel sights on transgender children. This week we talk to one of the attorneys fighting to defend Texas transgender children.

Texas Republicans have caricatured critical race theory into a boogie man in order to give them the political justification to change the narrative of history itself. Join us this week as we discuss the GOP attempt to whitewash Texas history.

Georgia progressives are clearly doing something right. So what should Texas learn from Georgia? Our guest this week, Delilah Agho-Otoghile, is uniquely situated to provide an answer, as a Houston organizer and Democratic strategist who played a leading role in Georgia’s success!

Progressives must embrace the indispensable digital tools of our age. So join us this week as we discuss the State of Digital for Progressives in 2022 with Benjamin Hernandez!

Join us this week as we check in on the status of US immigration under the new administration with Houston immigration attorney, Ruby Powers.

Democracy is fragile during any time. But during times like this, when it is directly under assault, it cannot survive without a Mass Movement. We must fight for it. And that “we,” must be literally everyone.

Join us this week as we revisit the topic of our community and governmental response to flooding in the first of a series of episodes on climate justice.

It's that time of year again, election season! In what is becoming an H-Town Progressive tradition, this week we cover the eight ballot propositions that will appear on this November's ballot, with the great Andrea Greer!

It feels like we’re experiencing a Great Unraveling right now, with facts, science, decency, and humanity itself giving way to hatred, greed & bigotry. So how do you build bridges amid all this? With creative, thoughtful, resilient, and tough progressives, like our guest today, Sasha Legette.

The Texas GOP anti-abortion law is now in effect. It employs an insidious strategy, to destroy the entire community around the person seeking care. What can we do? What are the facts, and who do we turn to now? A good start is with our guests today, who are on the front lines, fighting the fight every day.

As the story of America's longest war slowly finds its way into the history books, we must be vigilant to make sure the perspective and unique experience of American Muslims during all of this is not forgotten or ignored. Join us this week as we discuss the international crises through the lens of Houston's Muslim Community with our guest, Sarah Syed.

The art a community elevates can be one of the truest reflections of that community’s identity. But if art must first be filtered through the whims of the rich and powerful, then the story it tells will be, at best, incomplete. And so, if we are to embrace our collective humanity, treat with dignity the unique lived experiences that we each bring to the table, honor with humility and curiosity the perspective of the other, so we can appreciate a more complete story of our community, we must develop mechanisms to elevate art that do not rely primarily on the rich and the powerful. So today we talk about the effort to do so through grassroots arts advocacy, right here in Houston.

Black Lives Matter is more than just words, it’s a simple and short, yet powerful and complex verbal manifestation of American history. It rings true always, not just when our screens are filled with the blood of Black bodies. So today, a day when our media is distracted by other problems - and there are many - we take a moment to remind ourselves that the work must continue, especially on a day like this, because Black Lives Still Matter.

Our criminal justice system is broken. But with the next election approaching quickly, we have a real opportunity to bring meaningful change to our community. Join us this week as we discuss the Harris County criminal bench with three of Harris County's top criminal law experts and criminal judicial candidates, Judge Genesis Draper, Nata Cornelio and Te'iva Bell!

One way to stop the perpetuation of racism in America is to publicly call out and hold racist institutions responsible. Houston's St. Thomas' Episcopal School is one such institution, and Donato Clay, a Black alum of the school, has lead a recent movement to demand atonement. Join us this week as three STE alums, including our host, State Rep. Gene Wu, and Mr. Clay, discuss one Houston example of challenging a racist institution.

Protests are good, but they are not enough. Non-black Americans need to act. And those actions need to be informed by understanding. So we must listen. And that’s what we’re going to do today, listen. This week Odus Evbagharu shares his thoughts about the ongoing racist American police state.

This administration has been targeting and ruthlessly persecuting the immigrant community literally from the day it took power. And unfortunately, as is the case with pretty much all of our structural inequities, the pandemic has made the situation worse. Join us this week as we discuss COVID-19 and Houston’s immigrant community with Dr. Dona Kim Murphey.

Months now into the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas has entered the second phase of the Governor’s plan for reopening. Yet key benchmarks in his own plan have not been met. Join us this week as we discuss Phase 2 of the Reopening of Texas with Houston physician Dr. Bich-May Nguyen.

It seems that abortion care is always politically charged and under attack. That’s true now more than ever, as political fanatics use the pandemic to serve their brutal interests. Today we talk to Dr. Bhavik Kumar, a family physician with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast about the state of abortion care in Houston amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.