Op-Eds

IUPRA staff are often asked to share their expertise on how various policy and social issues disproportionately affect people of color in op-ed pieces. These op-eds have been published in local, state-wide, and national press.

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IUPRA or The University of Texas at Austin.

Insurrection was a product of deep-seated racism
Kevin Cokley
San Antonio Express | January 2021

Black people tried to tell y'all about Trump. So yeah, we've got jokes now.
By Patrice Peck. Dr. Kevin Cokley featured as a contributor.
MSNBC | January 2021

Psychology shows us there are ways we can deal with COVID-19 uncertainty
Annika Olson
Visible Magazine | October 2020

Why amazon and its domination should be raising concerns
Annika Olson
Austin American Statesman | 2020

Trump's tepid disavowal of white supremacy says alot
Kevin Cokley
San Antonio Express | 2020

Telling young people to stay inside during a pandemic is like telling them to abstain from sex. Here are some better ideas.
Annika Olson
CNN | August 2020

We should all welcome the bipartisan push to expand AmeriCorps
Annika Olson
Austin American-Statesman | August 2020

We need leaders to affirm that Black Lives Matter, not exploit the phrase to divide us
Kevin Cokley
USA Today | July 2020

Commentary: COVID, poverty burden front-line worker
Ricardo Lowe
San Antonio Express | July 2020

U.S. Senate Should Pass Additional School Funding to Combat 'COVID-19 Slide'
Annika Olson
U.S. News & World Report | July 2020

Austin's next superintendent must address poverty, equity gaps
Valerie Sterne
Austin American-Statesman | June 2020

When is enough, enough?
Kevin Cokley
The Hill | May 2020

Now or Never: Hold the Superintendent Accountable to Communities of Color
Danielle Wright, Ph.D.
The Austin Chronicle | May 2020

Calling it the 'Chinese virus' distracts from addressing public health needs
Ricardo Lowe and Tracie Lowe
Austin American-Statesman | April 2020
San Antonio Express | April 2020
Abilene Reporter News | April 2020

COVID-19 shows why we need misdemeanor criminal justice reform
Annika Olson
The Hill | April 2020

Equity audits should be commonplace
Annika Olson
Inside Higher Ed | March 2020

AISD is perpetuating a historic racial dividing line
Annika Olson
The Austin Chronicle | March 2020

An open letter to my peers partying on the beach
Annika Olson
CNN | March 2020

Don't pit slavery descendants against Black immigrants. Racism doesn't know the difference.
Kevin Cokley
USA Today | February 2020

Good schools are not enough when children lack adequate housing
Annika Olson
Houston Chronicle | January 2020
Austin American-Statesman | January 2020
Waco Tribune-Herald | January 2020

Why support for the death penalty is much higher among white Americans
Kevin Cokley
The Conversation | November 2019
Houston Chronicle | November 2019
KUT | November 2019
Chicago Tribune | November 2019

Don't sanitize African American Studies
Kevin Cokley
Houston Chronicle | November 2019
San Antonio Express | November 2019
Austin American-Statesman | November 2019
Caller Times | November 2019

Place children at the center of any plan to change Austin schools
Annika Olson
Austin American-Statesman | November 2019

School closures would impact an already vulnerable Black population in Austin
Ricardo Lowe
Texas Tribune's TribTalk | October 2019

Imposter syndrome, Black college students, and how administrators can help
Tracie Lowe and Donte Bernard
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education | July 2019

What is a real American, President Trump?
Kevin Cokley
The Globe and Mail | July 2019

A political stalemate over Puerto Rican aid is leaving all US disaster funding in limbo
Lauren Lluveras
The Conversation | April 2019

Why LeBron James' I Promise School should be more like LeBron and not shy away from issues of race
Kevin Cokley
The Conversation | April 2019

Race relations in Texas still a work in progress
Kevin Cokley
Austin American-Statesman | April 2019
Waco Tribune-Herald | April 2019

This is how Texas can do a better job of preventing maternal mortality
Michele Rountree
Caller Times | March 2019

My Great Expectations for Miles Morales
Lauren Lluveras
Latino Rebels | February 2019

Including foster care and homeless students in higher education
Tracie Lowe
Texas Tribune's TribTalk | February 2019

'Estamos Bien' and the forced resiliency of Black and Brown communities
Lauren Lluveras
Latino Rebels | December 2018

College is an impossible dream for many black foster children
Tracie Lowe
Texas Tribune's TribTalk | November 2018

There should not be a litmus test for patriotism
Kevin Cokley
The Hill | October 2018

Trump's behavior towards Puerto Ricans after Maria adds insult to injury
Lauren Lluveras
The Globe Post | September 2018

Puerto Rico has not recovered from Hurricane Maria
Lauren Lluveras
The Conversation | September 2018
Univision | September 2018
WTOP | September 2018
UPI | September 2018

What keeps racism alive? To start, most of us can't see it
Kevin Cokley
San Antonio Express | August 2018
Austin American-Statesman | August 2018

My Grandma Went to Jail for Selling Joints and Now White People are Profiting Off Weed
Lauren Lluveras
Vice | April 2018

How MLK's death changed America
Kevin Cokley
Dallas News | March 2018

Brown v. Board of Education anniversary — re-segregate schools voluntarily for black students
kihana miraya ross
The Hill | December 2017

It’s wrong for Texas to criminalize abortions
Shavonne Henderson and Richa Gupta
Texas Tribune's TribTalk | November 2017

Why Texas doesn’t come close to having true democracy
Lauren Lluveras
Austin American-Statesman | October 2017
Corpus Christi Caller-Times | October 2017

Is racial bias driving Trump’s neglect of Puerto Rico?
Lauren Lluveras
Houston Chronicle | October 2017
Chicago Tribune | October 2017
The Conversation | October 2017
United Press International | October 2017

Puerto Rico: Racializing the federal response
Lauren Lluveras
The Globe Post | October 2017

Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy will make hurricane recovery brutal – here’s why
Lauren Lluveras
The Conversation | September 2017
Houston Chronicle | September 2017
Washington Post | September 2017

Trump isn’t urging patriotism; he’s provoking a culture war
Kevin Cokley
Austin American-Statesman | September 2017
Waco Tribune-Herald | September 2017
Rivard Report | September 2017

More universities need to embrace anti-hate policies
Shetal Vohra-Gupta and Naomi Reed
Houston Chronicle | August 2017

On race, America cannot look to Trump for moral leadership
Kevin Cokley
The Globe Post | August 2017

Australian woman’s death reveals the human toll of a police shooting
Kevin Cokley
The Globe and Mail | July 2017

JFK at 100: Celebrating women’s rights legacy
Laurie Green and Shetal Vohra-Gupta
USA TODAY | May 2017
Houston Chronicle | May 2017

Working moms to suffer under TrumpCare
Shetal Vohra-Gupta
The Hill | July 2017

Gaffes aside, what Ben Carson could do with the keys he holds
Shetal Vohra-Gupta
EBONY | March 2017

An open letter to Betsy DeVos: Listen to your community
Shetal Vohra-Gupta
Medium | January 2017
Huffington Post | February 2017

‘Our children can become president, too’: Obama’s presidency was a dream realized
Kevin Cokley
the grio | January 2017

Stop, drop, and pay retail workers what they’re worth while you’re benefiting from Black Friday
Shetal Vohra-Gupta
Medium | November 2016

Despite strides against HIV, there’s much work ahead
Michele Rountree
Houston Chronicle | November 2016

Fighting imposter syndrome
Kevin Cokley
The Alcalde | November 2016

Making America white again: The ‘white lash’ that carries Trump
Kevin Cokley
The Globe and Mail | November 2016

FBI Director James Comey has a long history of ignoring the truth
Amanda Woog
Washington Post | November 2016

Law enforcement funding should be tied to proper reporting of custodial deaths
Amanda Woog
Houston Chronicle | October 2016

What it means to be black in the American educational system
Kevin Cokley
The Conversation | October 2016

Toward a reproductive justice framework based on meaningful family choice
Amanda Woog and Shetal Vohra-Gupta
Harvard Law and Policy Review | September 2016

Who dies in police custody? Texas, California offer new tools to find out
Amanda Woog
The Conversation | August 2016
Huffington Post | August 2016
Houston Chronicle | August 2016

Lost in the rhetoric of race are too many lost lives
Kevin Cokley
The Globe and Mail | July 2016

Change police training tactics to stop shootings of black men
Kevin Cokley and Germine Awad
Dallas Morning News | July 2016

Beyonce, bell and biracial me: A thank you note by Naomi Reed
Naomi Reed
NewBlackMan (in Exile) | May 2016

Donald Trump, Militias, and the Paradox of “Whiteness History Month”
Naomi Reed
Truthout | April 2016

School-to-prison pipeline rooted in Nixon’s war on drugs
Lorna Hermosura
Austin American-Statesman | April 2016
San Antonio Express-News | April 2016

3 steps to chip away at the gender pay gap
Shetal Vohra-Gupta
Dallas Morning News | April 2016

Are all black students falling behind?
Kevin Cokley
The Conversation | April 2016
New Boston Post | April 2016

Texas must change how we learn about black lives in school
Naomi Reed and Karen Moran Jackson
Fort Worth Star-Telegram | February 2016

Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘dream’ is on life-support
Kevin Cokley
Dallas Morning News | January 2016;
Austin American-Statesman | January 2016

Kids, dogs and law enforcement
Victor O. Obaseki
Texas Tribune’s Trib Talk | January 2016

Texas law on police shootings is only a start
Amanda Woog
Dallas Morning News | December 2015

After ‘Shakara’: 5 reforms to prevent police violence in schools
Amanda Woog, Naomi Reed, and Shetal Vohra-Gupta
EBONY | December 2015

Are Texas textbooks making cops more trigger-happy?
Naomi Reed
The Conversation | November 2015
Newsweek | November 2015

Real Talk: Ebony’s controversial Cosby Show cover is just what Dr. Huxtable ordered
Naomi Reed
Chicago Reader | October 2015

End racial disparities in school discipline
Kevin Cokley
San Antonio Express-News | September 2015
Houston Chronicle | September 2015
Dallas Morning News | September 2015
Fort Worth Star-Telegram | September 2015

On the clearance rack – the value of a working woman
Shetal Vohra-Gupta
Austin American-Statesman | September 2015

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