In early December, drilling resumed near Mother’s Heart Learning Center. Newly installed gas wells dot property at 2020 S. Watson Road, less than one mile from the day care. One day in December, the sound of fracking machinery was so cacophonous that children couldn’t play outdoors. For gas companies and stakeholders, the project is poised to […]
Author Archives: The 19th* News
A century ago, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution made voting, our country’s most fundamental mode of civic participation, a right regardless of gender. But this watershed moment in our democracy excluded millions of women, particularly women of color, from the ballot box for generations. And the reality is suffrage remains a work in progress for many in this country, particularly people living in states where voter suppression exists and tens of thousands of transgender Americans who face barriers to voting.
Today, women make up more than half of the American electorate and are more engaged than ever in our politics — marching on state capitols, voting at higher rates than men, and running for local office and seeking the presidency in record numbers. Yet they remain underrepresented in government and in the nation’s executive ranks. Women and LGBTQ+ people are also underrepresented in politics and policy journalism and in newsroom leadership, which influences what stories are told, how the news is covered and whose voices are elevated.
In short: The 19th Amendment remains unfinished business, a fact we acknowledge in our logo with an asterisk — a visible reminder of those who have been omitted from our democracy. The expansion of the franchise continues today, and The 19th aims to capture this ongoing American story.
Posted inCulture
Who Gets to Lead the Church? Women and LGBTQ+ Pastors Are Forcing an Answer.
For many Christian women, a woman’s role in the church’s ecosystem has long been fixed. But Beth Allison Barr, a historian and the wife of a pastor, felt compelled to challenge the prevailing narrative surrounding women in North American Christianity using history. This culminated in “The Making of Biblical Womanhood” in 2021, a book rebutting […]
Posted inPolitics
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales Advances to Runoff After Reported Sexual Messages with Staffer Released
This piece was originally published by The 19th* News and written by Jasmine Mithani, the technology reporter at The 19th whose coverage revolves around themes of information access, privacy and politics. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas has advanced to a runoff in the Republican primary for the House seat he’s held since 2020, according to […]
Posted inPolitics
Talarico Defeats Crockett in Democratic Senate Primary in Texas
This piece was originally published in The 19th* News and written by Grace Panetta, a politics reporter at The 19th covering the candidates, issues and voters that power our elections. Rep. Jasmine Crockett lost the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas to state Rep. James Talarico, Decision Desk HQ projects. Talarico, a state lawmaker […]
Posted inHealth
Texas’ New Abortion Ban Aims to Stop Doctors From Sending Abortion Pills to the State
This story was originally reported by Shefali Luthra of The 19th. Meet Shefali and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. Texas’ massive new abortion law taking effect this week could escalate the national fight over mailing abortion pills. House Bill 7 represents abortion opponents’ most ambitious effort to halt telehealth abortions, […]
Posted inNews
‘She Needs to Have a Democracy to Grow Up In’: The Moms Who Left Texas to Defend Its Future
This story was originally written by Amanda Becker and published by The 19th* News. When Erin Zwiener finished taking the bar exam last Wednesday afternoon and walked out into the Texas heat, the aspiring lawyer was looking forward to one thing: Enjoying the final days of summer vacation with her daughter before she begins second grade. Then […]
Posted inHealth
‘This Is a Big Deal’: Texas Lawsuit May Test Nationwide Telehealth Abortion Access
This story was originally written by Shefali Luthra and published by The 19th* News. A new lawsuit filed in Texas could force federal courts to weigh in on the legality of telehealth abortions, which people have increasingly used to terminate their pregnancies since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The case, a civil complaint filed in the federal […]
Posted inNews
She Helped Get Rid of Measles in Her County. This Is Her Advice on Stopping its Spread.
This story was originally written by Barbara Rodriguez and published by The 19th* News. Katherine Wells still remembers finding out that measles had hit West Texas. It was late January, and Wells, the director of the Lubbock Health Department, was notified that a child from nearby Gaines County was being treated for the respiratory disease at one of […]
Posted inNews
What’s the Latest on Birthright Citizenship? What Trump’s Order Means for Immigrant Families
This story was originally written by Mel Leonor Barclay and published by The 19th* News. Within hours of his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would withhold U.S. citizenship from the children of some immigrants born in the United States, calling the order a “big one.” The executive order would end a right that […]
Posted inNews
She Was a Rising Senior on the Honor Roll. ICE Just Upended her Life.
This story was originally written by Nadra Nittle and published by The 19th* News. On July 4, Nory Sontay Ramos stepped off a flight from San Antonio into a country she hardly recognized: Guatemala. The summer wasn’t supposed to start this way. The 17-year-old had plans. In early June, she wrapped up 11th grade on a high note, […]