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Southlake

News & Politics Podcasts

Southlake, Texas, seems to have it all: stately homes, intense civic pride, and above all, terrific schools. So when a video surfaced in 2018 showing Southlake high school students chanting the N-word—and when Black residents came forward to share stories of racist harassment and bullying—the school board vowed to make changes. But the unveiling of the Cultural Competence Action Plan set off a backlash that’s consumed Southlake, fueled by a growing national crusade against critical race theory. Hosted by NBC News national reporter Mike Hixenbaugh (host of the hit podcast Do No Harm) and NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton, Southlake tells the story of how one idyllic city became the test case for a new political strategy with national repercussions.

Location:

United States

Description:

Southlake, Texas, seems to have it all: stately homes, intense civic pride, and above all, terrific schools. So when a video surfaced in 2018 showing Southlake high school students chanting the N-word—and when Black residents came forward to share stories of racist harassment and bullying—the school board vowed to make changes. But the unveiling of the Cultural Competence Action Plan set off a backlash that’s consumed Southlake, fueled by a growing national crusade against critical race theory. Hosted by NBC News national reporter Mike Hixenbaugh (host of the hit podcast Do No Harm) and NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton, Southlake tells the story of how one idyllic city became the test case for a new political strategy with national repercussions.

Language:

English


Episodes
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They Came for the Schools

5/14/2024
In an exclusive audio excerpt from Chapter 1 of “They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms,” author Mike Hixenbaugh uncovers Southlake’s history, demonstrating how policies meant to protect the town from outside development a half-century ago helped plant the seeds for conflicts over diversity, equity and inclusion—conflicts that are now tearing apart suburbs across the nation. For more details and to purchase the book, on sale May 14, 2024, follow this link: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/they-came-for-the-schools-mike-hixenbaugh?variant=41284682088482

Duration:00:40:40

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Special preview of Into America presents: Uncounted Millions

2/15/2024
On Into America presents: Uncounted Millions: The Power of Reparations, award-winning MSNBC correspondent Trymaine Lee dives into one of today’s most pressing debates: reparations. Months ago, Trymaine discovered the little-known story of Gabriel Coakley and it blew his mind. In the midst of the Civil War, Coakley was among a handful of Black people who found a way to get compensated for slavery by the US government. On Uncounted Millions, Trymaine talks to Coakley’s descendants about how reparations forever changed their family’s trajectory. And as more cities and states consider the issue at a policy level, he imagines how reparations might shape the whole of Black America. Listen to this special preview now. And follow the show: https://link.chtbl.com/iapum_fdlw

Duration:00:06:12

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Grapevine - Ep. 6: A Final Lesson

11/27/2023
Grapevine goes to the polls in a contentious school board election driven by the fight over the role of religion and LGBTQ inclusion in public schools. As the dust settles, Ren reflects on the impact of her mother’s allegations. And, after months of feeling as if she’s had to erase herself, Em Ramser reclaims her voice.

Duration:00:49:07

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Grapevine - Ep. 5: Open The Floodgates

11/27/2023
Evangelical activists open a new front in their campaign to impose their version of biblical morality in public schools — at the Texas statehouse. While legislators debate bills requiring the Ten Commandments and banning mention of gender identity in classrooms, three nonbinary students share the trauma they’ve endured at Grapevine High. Meanwhile, a coalition of progressive parents and disillusioned conservatives pledge to retake control of their school system.

Duration:00:44:42

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Grapevine - Ep. 4: A Raging Fire

11/27/2023
Weston Brown, 28, sees a video of his homeschooling mother calling for dozens of books on sexuality and gender to be banned from public schools in another Texas school district. To counter her political activism, Weston publicly shares his story of growing up gay in a fundamentalist Christian family. Feeling pressured by parents and school officials, Em Ramser removes LGBTQ symbols from her classroom and no longer recognizes the teacher she’s become.

Duration:00:43:09

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Grapevine - Ep. 3: A Harvest Is Coming

11/27/2023
Amid a growing anti-trans backlash, Ren devises a plan to get out of Texas — and away from her mother. In Grapevine, Sharla’s claim that teacher Em Ramser “infected” her child with lies about gender triggers online attacks, leading Ramser to consider leaving the profession.

Duration:00:47:43

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Grapevine - Ep. 2: The Seven Mountains

11/27/2023
Conservatives are gaining power in Grapevine, fueled by a once-fringe movement that calls on evangelicals to control the seven key “mountains” of American society — including education. A cellphone company with a Christian nationalist agenda heeds that call and sets its sights on winning school board seats in Grapevine, following an example set a year earlier in the neighboring city of Southlake. CORRECTION (Oct. 4, 2023, 08:40 p.m. ET): A previous version of this episode misstated the amount of money Patriot Mobile Action spent in school board elections in North Texas in spring 2022. It was nearly $500,000, not $600,000.

Duration:00:44:26

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Grapevine - Ep. 1: The Girl And The English Teacher

11/27/2023
A mother named Sharla publicly accuses a high school teacher in Grapevine, Texas, of using a graphic novel called “The Prince and the Dressmaker” to convince her child to change genders. Reporters Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton set out to investigate the allegation. Sharla’s child, Ren, and Ren’s English teacher, Em Ramser, tell them a different story.

Duration:00:43:21

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Special Excerpt of Grapevine

10/18/2023
The team behind Southlake is back with the story of a neighboring north Texas school district, where a parent has accused a teacher of convincing her child to change genders. Hosts Antonia Hylton and Mike Hixenbaugh show how these types of allegations against teachers are tied to a national movement to impose conservative Christian morality in public schools. This is a special excerpt of episode 3 of Grapevine, a new six-part podcast series from NBC News Studios. To hear the show, follow now: https://link.chtbl.com/grapevine_alw_

Duration:00:11:37

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Special Preview of Grapevine

10/4/2023
Two years after conservative activists in Southlake, Texas, turned critical race theory into a right-wing rallying cry, the political fight has shifted. Now, the team behind the Peabody Award-winning podcast Southlake tells the story of one family broken apart in the midst of a new anti-LGBTQ culture war, and the high school English teacher caught in the middle. This is a special preview of episode 1 of Grapevine, a new six-part podcast series from NBC News Studios. To listen to the first two episodes, follow now: https://link.chtbl.com/grapevine_alw_

Duration:00:20:47

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From the Southlake team – Introducing Grapevine

9/27/2023
Two years after conservative activists in Southlake, Texas, turned critical race theory into a right-wing rallying cry, the political fight has shifted. Now, the team behind the Peabody Award-winning podcast Southlake tells the story of one family broken apart in the midst of a new anti-LGBTQ culture war, and the high school English teacher caught in the middle. Listen to a special preview of Grapevine, a new six-part podcast series from NBC News Studios, and follow now to get the first two episodes on Wednesday, October 4: https://link.chtbl.com/grapevine_fdlw

Duration:00:03:59

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BONUS: Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News

6/12/2023
As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News,” a new original podcast series from MSNBC. In each episode, Rachel Maddow and co-host Isaac-Davy Aronson seek a deeper understanding of a story in today's headlines by asking: Has anything like this ever happened before? Would knowing that help us grapple with what’s happening now… and what might happen next? Listen to the first episode now and follow the series: https://link.chtbl.com/rmpdn_fdlw

Duration:00:05:11

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An all-new season of ‘Dateline Missing in America’

5/30/2023
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Season 2 of Dateline: Missing in America. The chart-topping podcast series is back with a brand-new season and brand-new cases. Are you the key to solving a mystery? Correspondents Josh Mankiewicz, Andrea Canning and Keith Morrison report on perplexing missing person cases brought to Dateline’s attention by our social media followers. Each episode focuses on one person’s story, as told by those left behind. Listen carefully to the details, descriptions and clues offered by family, friends and investigators. Something you hear might jog a memory that could help authorities crack a case. You can listen to the first two episodes of Dateline: Missing in America season 2 here: https://link.chtbl.com/mias2_fdlw

Duration:00:01:56

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Special Preview: New episode of Tiffany Dover Is Dead* Podcast

4/10/2023
As a preview for Southlake listeners, here’s a sneak peek from a special new episode of Truthers: Tiffany Dover Is Dead*, an NBC News podcast about misinformation and conspiracy theories. Nine months after the series ended without landing an on-the-record interview with its subject, Tiffany Dover speaks out for the first time. In this clip, she shares her side of the story and why we haven’t heard from her until now. Follow the podcast to listen to this episode or catch up on the whole story: https://link.chtbl.com/ttdisbe_fd

Duration:00:06:49

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Introducing: The Girl in the Blue Mustang

3/14/2023
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for The Girl in the Blue Mustang, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Keith Morrison. When 18-year-old Michelle O’Keefe is found murdered in her shiny new blue Mustang in a California park and ride, investigators encounter a confusing crime scene and a witness who seems to know too much. In Dateline’s latest original podcast series, Keith Morrison takes us to the High Desert outside Los Angeles for a story featuring twists,...

Duration:00:01:56

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Introducing Letters from Sing Sing

2/20/2023
As a bonus for Southlake listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Letters from Sing Sing, a new original podcast from NBC News Studios. Letters from Sing Sing tells the story of a man convicted of murder, his fight for justice, and how the letters he sent NBC News producer Dan Slepian sparked a 20-year investigation that changed both of their lives. Listen to the first two episodes now: https://link.chtbl.com/lfss_fdlw

Duration:00:01:45

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Introducing: Murder & Magnolias

11/15/2022
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Murder & Magnolias, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Keith Morrison. The story starts with a picture-perfect couple in the land of Spanish moss and sweet magnolias. But when a hit man targets one of them, a plot driven by betrayal and murderous intent unfolds. Listen to the first 2 episodes now for free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all...

Duration:00:02:41

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Special Preview: “The Revolution with Steve Kornacki”

10/31/2022
Steve Kornacki gives a special preview of his new podcast, “The Revolution with Steve Kornacki.” In this six-part original series, Kornacki steps back from the Big Board to tell the origin story of the 1994 Republican “revolution,” the midterm election when the GOP took the House majority for the first time in four decades. Listen to all six episodes now and follow the series: https://link.chtbl.com/trwsk_fdlw

Duration:00:04:33

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Special preview: “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra”

10/10/2022
Rachel Maddow gives a special preview of her new podcast, “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra.” In this eight-part original series, Rachel tells an all-but-forgotten true story of American extremism getting supercharged, connecting the dots between sitting members of Congress aiding and abetting a plot to overthrow the government and the lengths they would go to in order to cover their tracks. Listen to the first two episodes now and follow the series: https://link.chtbl.com/rmpu_fdlw

Duration:00:04:45

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Introducing: Internal Affairs

9/20/2022
As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer of Internal Affairs, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline. A sudden moment of terror launches a frantic search for a costumed killer. Reported by Josh Mankiewicz, Internal Affairs is a story about bad choices, a fatal attraction and people who proudly wore badges at work -- while living lies at home. Listen to the first 2 episodes now, or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early access to new episodes:...

Duration:00:02:40