Forsaken

In the fall of 2025, two University of Texas seniors revived a long-disbanded campus counterculture magazine called The Rag. The Rag's original iteration began in 1966. For a little more than a decade, the student-led magazine critiqued and wrote satire related to campus and federal government. This, during a time when the Vietnam War created social upheaval on college campuses across the US, including UT-Austin. In this episode, The Drag's Keana Saberi brings us the publication's creation story, which is one spurred by activism but also mired by tragedy.

On the evening of April 16, 1960, a young woman from McAllen, Texas named Irene Garza went to church for confession. She never returned home. A week later, her body was found floating in a canal. Decades would pass before the priest who murdered Irene was brought to justice in a historic case for the church and the Rio Grande Valley. In Season five of "Darkness," host Talisa Treviño details the decades-long fight for justice for Irene. Hear from the investigators who tackled the case and Irene's loved ones, as well as survivors of abuse in the Catholic church. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts. 

After a federal court ordered the immediate integration of Mansfield High School, white segregationists blocked the front of the high school, threatening anyone challenging them. Part two of this series, written by Khiry Duffey and hosted by Terrance Thomas, shares what happened that day in Mansfield and how it helped shape events that would happen in Little Rock, Arkansas, the following year. And Mansfield Historian Christopher Ohan delves into the lasting impression the story of 1950s Mansfield holds with city residents today.  

In 1955, Mansfield ISD was still segregated, despite the Brown v. Board of Education ruling the year prior. It was a small town, heavily divided by race, just outside of Fort Worth, Texas. In the first part of a two-part series, Khiry Duffey shares the story of Clifford Davis and Floyd Moody, two people who were critical in the efforts to desegregate the school.  

On January 1, 2024, Texas Senate Bill 17 went into effect. Its purpose was to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs and initiatives at all Texas public institutions, resulting in the closure of UT Austin's Division of Campus and Community Engagement and other programs and departments accused of promoting DEI efforts. The bill's aim is to remove "special benefits" for students based on race, gender, and economic status. In this episode, we hear from UT students, former staff, and alumni about the effects of this bill and plans to challenge it.

Registering to vote can be tricky, especially because Texas is one of eleven states that doesn't have online voter registration. The deadline to register to vote in Texas is October 7, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 25. In this episode, Sofia Vargas Karam walks through some of the difficulties of registering to vote in Texas. Voting resources: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/21/texas-voter-guide-2024-election/ https://www.aclutx.org/en/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-voting-rights#s2 https://lwvaustin.org/Voter-Registration#gsc.tab=0 – 512-451-6710 https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/ https://movetexas.org/ Read Sofia's essay about her voting experience: https://civicsutexas.org/first-time-voter/

In part two of this two-part series, Aislyn Gaddis looks at the larger context of the systems in place that allowed Fred Harris' death, and similar tragedies, to happen – from the state of the Harris County Jail to the laws in place that contribute to the jail's conditions.

Fred Harris, a 19-year-old with special needs, was murdered in the Harris County Jail in 2021. Fred's killer was sentenced to 50 years in prison, but Fred's mother is still demanding justice for her son. She claims the justice system failed him. In part one of this two-part series, Aislyn Gaddis shares the story of Fred Harris' life and death.   

This summer has been historic as headlines filled with election updates dominate news feeds. But with updates flooding through, we wanted to slow down and talk about what one of the most recent events, specifically vice president Kamala Harris's entry into the election, means for Texas. Host Sara Kinney talks to two Texas journalists, Abigail Rosenthal of Chron and James Barragán of the Texas Tribune, about their recent articles covering the election and what this election could mean for Texas as November gets closer. Resources:  https://www.chron.com/culture/article/kamala-harris-megan-thee-stallion-19616331.php https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/kamala-harris-texas-voters-black-indian-asian/ https://www.votetexas.gov/ https://vote.gov/

Many Texans may not have heard of Mary Frances Tarlton "Sissy" Farenthold. She was a legendary environmentalist in the state. She also ran for governor – twice – and was even a nominee for U.S. vice president. This episode focuses on Farenthold's environmental work, with a focus on the creation of Mustang Island, an 18-mile stretch of beach that runs from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas. Athena Hawkins recounts the story of her impact within and beyond that stretch of beach.  

Despite being a mostly conservative community, New Braunfels, Texas has become a safer space for LGBTQ+ people in recent years. In the final installment of Queer Texas, Heather Stewart shares the experiences of local LGBTQ+ high schoolers, discusses the city's political climate and outlines the creation of New Braunfels' pride events. 

In May 2023, a family-friendly drag show at a New Braunfels, Texas church attracted protestors. In part three of Queer Texas, Heather Stewart talks to the pastor of Faith United Church of Christ about the protest and the fallout that followed. This episode also explores the roles that faith and religion play in the lives of three LGBTQ+ people in New Braunfels and the locals' mixed responses to queer-affirming churches, drag shows and the city's first queer-friendly bar. 

After Cameron Wright confessed to assaulting Aliah Hernandez in 2014 in a New Braunfels, Texas hotel room, both the officer assigned to Aliah's case and Aliah's friends and family thought it was an open-and-shut case. But two grand juries declined to indict Wright. In part two of Queer Texas, Heather Stewart shares the rest of Aliah's story. Aliah's best friend shares her frustrations at the lack of indictment, and a legal professional weighs in on why the grand juries might have declined to indict. Resources: FBI anonymous tip form: https://tips.fbi.gov/ Matthew Shepard Foundation hate crime prevention resources: https://www.matthewshepard.org/resources/hate-crime-prevention-resources/ Equality Texas resources: https://www.equalitytexas.org/community-resources/ Comal County, helpful links for victims of crime: https://www.co.comal.tx.us/so/Victim-Services/Helpful%20Links%20Victim%20Services.pdf Lambda Legal help desk: https://lambdalegal.org/helpdesk/ San Antonio Gender Association: https://sagender.org/

In December 2014, Aliah Hernandez, a trans woman, told police she was assaulted after revealing her gender identity to a man whom she met up with at a hotel in New Braunfels, Texas. In the first episode of Queer Texas, a four-part "Forsaken" series that outlines the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community in the mostly conservative city of New Braunfels, Heather Stewart shares Aliah's story.  

Everyone's familiar with AMBER Alert – the notifications sent out when a child is missing or kidnapped and in danger. But what many don't know is that the system was created because of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was abducted while riding her bike in Arlington, Texas in January 1996. Her body was found four days later. The tragedy rocked the North Texas community and led one citizen to ask what she could do to help, and the AMBER Alert system was born. As of Dec. 31, 2023, the AMBER Alert system has saved 1,200 children. 

This spring, protests and encampments materialized on college campuses across the United States. On campuses like Columbia University, the University of Southern California and the University of Texas at Austin, law enforcement has arrived to break up the protests, arresting dozens of students. Videos have shown officers shoving students and professors to the ground and using pepper spray and batons against protesters. In this episode, host Sara Kinney shares stories from student journalists who witnessed violence and were injured in their coverage of the protests.   

In the second episode of this two-part series, Cristela Jones shares the stories of Brenda Moore and Pinkie Mae Davis-Herron, two of four Black women who went missing in Austin in 1976, and discusses "Missing White Woman Syndrome."

In 1976, four Black women went missing in Austin, Texas. Their stories went largely untold. In this two-part series, Cristela Jones interrogates why these women's stories haven't been told – why we've heard the names Gabby Petito and Natalee Holloway, but not Debra Kay Stewart, Jennifer Joyce Barton, Brenda Moore or Pinkie Mae Davis-Herron. In this episode, Cristela details the stories of Debra Kay Stewart and Jennifer Joyce Barton, who went missing just days apart.

The mostly conservative state of Texas is not necessarily known for its promotion of sex education in schools – it's actually not even required to be taught at all. In this episode, Mackenzie Matwick talks to the Austin Independent School District's Health Education Curriculum Specialist to show what they are doing to change this stigma. She also walks down memory lane to talk about what it was like going through the Texas school districts herself with the help of her mom, and gives the rundown of what students in Texas are being taught versus what information is being held back from them.   

Anthony Graves was only 26 years old when he was arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Accused of murdering a family of six in Somerville, Texas, Graves was sentenced to death, solely on the testimony of a man who later confessed to acting alone. Graves was incarcerated for 18 years before he was exonerated and released. In this episode, Graves tells his story and Aisling Ayers details the conditions on Texas death row.  

In 1998, Rodney Reed was the defendant in Bastrop, Texas' first capital murder trial in nearly 50 years. In this episode, Aisling Ayers speaks to a juror who has never spoken to the media before. The juror shares what happened in the courtroom during Reed's trial and what led jurors to sentence Reed to death. The juror also reflects on the media attention the case has received over the past few decades and shares whether she stands by the jury's verdict.

In 1996, the body of 19-year-old Stacey Stites was found along a quiet country road outside of Bastrop, Texas. Stites was a white woman engaged to a white police officer in a neighboring town – but she'd also allegedly been having an affair with Rodney Reed. Reed, a Black man, was arrested and charged for her murder. In this episode, Aisling Ayers recounts what happened to Stites, how Reed became a suspect and the potential theories for what might have happened the night Stites died.

Forsaken is a series that explores the systems that both enhance and oppress the lives of the more than 29 million people living in Texas. Each episode will address issues that Texans face each day – the good and the bad. We'll explore the criminal justice system, Texas politics, civil rights, social issues and maybe even a little bit of history. Texas is the second-most diverse state in the nation and has equally diverse stories to tell. As the legendary late Texas singer Billy Joe Shaver sings: "You fathers and you mothers / Be good to one another / Please try to raise your children right / Don't let the darkness take 'em / Don't make 'em feel forsaken / Just lead 'em safely to the light."