Books and Backlash

A mother named Sharla publicly accuses a high school teacher in Grapevine, Texas, of using a graphic novel called “The Prince and the Dressmaker” to convince her child to change genders. Reporters Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton set out to investigate the allegation. Sharla’s ... Show More

Conservatives are gaining power in Grapevine, fueled by a once-fringe movement that calls on evangelicals to control the seven key “mountains” of American society — including education. A cellphone company with a Christian nationalist agenda heeds that call and sets its sights on ... Show More

Amid a growing anti-trans backlash, Ren devises a plan to get out of Texas — and away from her mother. In Grapevine, Sharla’s claim that teacher Em Ramser “infected” her child with lies about gender triggers online attacks, leading Ramser to consider leaving the profession. Hoste ... Show More

<p>Over the past few decades, families have flocked to the affluent Dallas suburb of Southlake for its top-rated school system. But beneath the manicured lawns and gleaming fountains lie something Black families call <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/viral-video-force ... Show More

As a bonus for Velshi Banned Book Club listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Grapevine, a new original podcast series from NBC News Studios. From the same team that brought you the #1 podcast Southlake, Grapevine tells the story of one family broken apart in the midst of ... Show More

This Juneteenth, we’re sharing an episode of The Weeds, a Vox Media podcast where host Jonquilyn Hill breaks down the policies that shape our lives. This episode digs into school discipline and the achievement gap with Francis Pearman of Stanford University’s Graduate School of E ... Show More

Two black students, Jemima and Elizabeth, tell De-Graft about what happened after they called out a racist incident at their university. The uni did investigate but the women felt things weren’t moving fast enough so they posted the photo at the centre of the story on social medi ... Show More

In the past two weeks the nation has borne witness to the tragedy of two mass shootings. In Uvalde, Texas, a gunman killed 19 students and their two teachers inside a fourth grade classroom at Robb Elementary School. At least 17 were wounded. In Buffalo, New York, a man is accuse ... Show More

<p>DeRay, Brittany, Clint and Sam discuss D.C. statehood, Baltimore's refusal to internally review their police department, a recently unearthed secret plan to circumvent Brown vs. Board of Education in Texas, and why South Dakota (of all places) leads the nation in jail admissio ... Show More