Highlighting the Voices of Texans in Texas Government Courses

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

-- Maya Angelou

For the last 2+ years, I have built my Texas Government class around the following hypothesis: our notions of being Texan, the various ideas we have about who we are and what the state means, shape the politics of the state. It has not failed. It goes a long way toward explaining the plural executive, a set of weak institutions defined by a strong desire for limited government. ("Weak," of course, is relative. What's weak on paper may not actually be so if various actors are considered to have control of an economy with a $2 trillion GDP.) My hypothesis also explains certain actions of the Texas legislature (e.g. school vouchers) and judiciary (e.g. tough on crime to controversial degrees).

A thesis is certainly not a statement made for the sake of being right. I never intended it that way; it means to complement other attempts at knowing. Some devoted to analysis of state and local politics have quantitative measures regarding the influence of parts of the government. Some have elaborate theories about structures which track how competing actors serve more or less established interests. I start from the extremely obvious. The prevalence of ever more gigantic pickup trucks; blinding belt buckles; the insistent rhetoric of nationhood and secession. The journalist Chris Hooks once observed that Texas nationalism is to the United States as the United States is to the rest of the world. That seems true to me, which raises a further question. Can the current reputation of the United States be understood in a way which sheds light on Texan identity? I believe the answer is "not quite," but we do live in a state which requires a course on its government to be taught. I can't imagine a similar course for undergraduates, say, titled Delaware Government.

A good thesis has to do more than simply explain. It has to try to explain, pointing to a variety of ways related questions can be sought and explored. And I'm realizing that while I've featured a number of different voices of Texans in my class–students hear from those with disabilities, prisoners, recent citizens–I must feature that many more voices. Who lives in this state, how do they live in it, and how do they shape or are shaped by the power of the state government? Each story of theirs provides insight into what the government of Texas actually is. The political drama in Austin only matters inasmuch as it impacts how people live or exert power.

So what I'm going to do for each session of this class is highlight a different Texan. First class we'll listen to Gloria Smith of Fort Worth. Her curiosity about the ancestors led her to a quest to preserve what was left of a freedom town. Not only did she open a chapter of history for others to share, but the restored Dabney Hill Masonic Lodge will serve as a community center for those in the area now:

I'm also thinking students should hear from Ethan Hawke after we discuss parts of Steve Lovelace's "What Does It Mean To Be a Texan?" Some make the not-terribly-compelling claim that you have to be born in Texas to be a Texan. What's remarkable about Hawke's TED talk on creativity is how many vibes it captures from different parts of Texas, but I think Hawke was only briefly in this state after being born. What could it mean if Texas' own understanding of its creative potential fits exactly with a city many Texans claim they cannot understand, e.g. NYC?

Another resource I plan to use is the Texas Tribune's 2019 "Texan Since." It is a roundup of comments from Texans about what it means to live in this state. I want to navigate the ways in which people are transcending cliche by making being Texan personal.

I don't want my classes to only see a policy, a tendency, or a debate. All politics concerns people, local and state politics especially. What is passed or budgeted determines exactly how people can live. Whether they can be counted in the state whose history they have built. Texas law requires instructors to aid students in developing a sense of personal responsibility and social responsibility. That must start from seeing one's fellow residents in Texas and what is at stake for them. Highlighting those who have sought their roots, honed their creativity, or expressed their pride goes hand-in-hand with understanding problems such as water shortages, oilfield layoffs, and statewide hunger. How can Texan identity be harnessed to create a state which works for the good of all? Is it possible to have a pride receptive to critical issues and inclusive of serious voices?