Labor Day 2012 by James C. Harrington TCRP Director Too often, we Americans see Labor Day as the end-of-the-summer finale and forget its origins. We have that unfortunate tendency with many of our holidays — to see them for their festiveness, and not why they exist. Labor Day originated as a way to honor working [...]

What’s in it for US? By James C. Harrington Guest Contributor For Americans, the 4th of July is that grand mid-summer holiday with hot dogs, picnics, parades, and fireworks — and, if lucky, a three-day weekend. As with most national holidays, we have an uncanny way of “flattening” the 4th of July, that is, limiting [...]

Legal Protection for All By Cate Graziani TCRP Social Work Intern Every day things are getting scarier for women in Texas. First, Gov. Rick Perry refused federal Medicaid dollars to fund family planning programs in Texas, deciding instead to use state dollars. Not only does his decision deprive thousands of women their preventative care, but [...]

James C. Harrington TCRP Director As a veteran civil rights attorney, I have often been struck about how quickly a leader’s legacy disappears from one generation to the next. Perhaps this is because, as a society, we do not do a good job of creating a narrative about important leaders, which we pass on to [...]

By James C. Harrington Director, Texas Civil Rights Project It’s always difficult to write about Martin Luther King, Jr., around the time of the holiday dedicated to him, because the expectation is that it should be something laudatory — and, of course, invoking his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Americans have a way of [...]