A Powerful Evening at UT Austin on the 'Censored University': The Legendary Nikole Hannah-Jones and Truth-Telling, by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

A Powerful Evening at UT Austin on the 'Censored University': Nikole Hannah-Jones and Truth-Telling

by

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

March 11, 2026

In an event sponsored by the Department of Mexican American and Latino Studies and the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, the Bass Lecture Hall at the LBJ School for Public Affairs was jam packed yesterday evening as students, faculty, and community members gathered for an extraordinary conversation about history, democracy, and the responsibility of truth-telling in our time. You may scroll down to view the recording.

Jonathan Friedman, Cameron Samuels, and
Nikole Hannah-Jones

We were honored to welcome Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of The 1619 Project, whose work has profoundly reshaped public understanding of the United States by centering the legacy of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans to the nation’s democratic ideals. Hers is the only book mentioned in Texas law that is weirdly all but censored. It's an honest history and I encourage all to read it. The audiobook version is excellent!

At a moment when honest conversations about history are increasingly contested, Hannah-Jones reminded us that democracy depends not on comforting myths but on our collective willingness to confront the past with clarity, courage, and intellectual integrity.

The evening also highlighted the power of intergenerational dialogue. Cameron Samuels, youth leader and LBJ School master’s student—who just got admitted into the UT Law School—brought a compelling perspective on student activism and intellectual freedom. Their advocacy reminds us that struggles over what can be taught, read, and discussed in schools are inseparable from the future of democracy itself.

We were also fortunate to hear from Jonathan Friedman of PEN America, whose work defending free expression and confronting book bans has been indispensable in documenting the growing movement to restrict knowledge in schools and libraries across the United States. His insights helped situate the conversation within the broader national struggle over intellectual freedom.

Guiding the evening’s dialogue was Dr. Lauren Gutterman, whose thoughtful

César Cruz and me

moderation created space for a rich and probing exchange among the speakers and with the audience. The program opened with an exquisite prayer offered by Dr. César Cruz, whose words grounded the evening in reflection, humility, and a shared commitment to justice and community. It was a beautiful reminder that intellectual work and moral purpose are never far apart.

Events like this matter—especially now. Universities must remain places where difficult histories can be examined honestly, where students encounter ideas that challenge them, and where communities can gather to think together about the future we hope to build.

Last night’s full house at the LBJ School made something clear: people are hungry for these conversations. They want spaces where truth can be spoken, where history can be wrestled with, and where the next generation of scholars, journalists, and organizers can find inspiration.

My deepest thanks to Nikole Hannah-Jones, Cameron Samuels, Jonathan Friedman, Dr. Lauren Gutterman, and Dr. César Cruz for helping make this such a meaningful evening—and to everyone who filled Bass Lecture Hall in a shared commitment to democracy, dialogue, and the enduring power of truth.

Nikole Hannah-Jones Comes to UT Austin: History, Democracy, and the Next Generation of Truth-Tellers

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM at the Bass Lecture Hall located at the LBJ School for Public Affairs, the University of Texas at Austin will host one of the most influential journalists and public intellectuals of our time. Nikole Hannah-Jones will speak at Bass Lecture Hall, bringing her powerful voice on history, democracy, and racial justice to campus at a moment when these conversations feel more urgent than ever.

Hannah-Jones is best known for creating The 1619 Project, the landmark initiative published by The New York Times that reframed the story of the United States by centering the legacy of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans to the nation’s democratic ideals. For this work, she received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2020, helping spark a national conversation about history, memory, and the meaning of democracy itself.

Notably, the book associated with this project—The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story—holds a unique and troubling distinction in Texas. Under Texas Senate Bill 3, it is the only specific book referenced in statute language as material that cannot be used to fulfill curriculum requirements in Texas public schools.

At a time when books are being challenged, curricula scrutinized, and honest discussions of race and history increasingly politicized, Hannah-Jones has remained steadfast in her commitment to rigorous historical inquiry and public dialogue. Her work reminds us that democracy depends not on comfortable myths, but on our willingness to confront the past honestly.

Tomorrow’s event will also feature two powerful voices from our own community.

Joining Hannah-Jones is Cameron Samuels, a youth leader and master’s student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs whose advocacy for intellectual freedom and student rights has resonated nationally. Samuels represents a generation of young organizers who understand that the fight over knowledge—what can be taught, read, and debated—is inseparable from the future of democracy.

Also participating is Karma Chávez, chair of the Mexican American and Latino Studies Program at UT Austin and a leading scholar whose work examines migration, social movements, and rhetorical strategies of resistance. Chávez’s scholarship reminds us that the struggles over voice, belonging, and justice have always been deeply connected to the power of narrative.

Together, these three speakers—together with Jonathan Friedman of PEN America as their moderator—represent something important: the intersection of journalism, scholarship, and youth activism in the ongoing struggle over how we tell the story of this country.

Events like this matter. Universities should be places where difficult histories can be explored, debated, and understood—not silenced. They are spaces where students encounter ideas that challenge them to think more deeply about the society they inhabit and the future they hope to build.

If you are in Austin, consider attending. Conversations about democracy, truth, and historical memory are not abstract academic exercises—they are part of the living work of citizenship.

And tomorrow evening, that conversation will unfold right here on the Forty Acres.

3rd annual Latino Policy Research Symposium being hosted on Friday, September 26th at the LBJ School—8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Friends,

I am delighted to share that the 3rd Annual Latino Policy Research Symposium will take place on Friday, September 26th, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, organized by Unidos-LBJ (@unidoslbj).

This year’s gathering promises to be an inspiring day of dialogue, learning, and community-building that brings together students, scholars, policymakers, and advocates to address critical issues affecting Latino communities in Texas and beyond. 

The symposium is free and open to the public.

To make the day even more welcoming, a complimentary breakfast and lunch will be provided for all registered participants. Scann the the QR code below to register.

Although I'm not at LBJ, I feel comfortable saying that we hope you will join us for this special opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and advance solutions together.

With appreciation to Unidos who is making this happen.

-Angela Valenzuela

 

A Deep Dive on Texas and the Latino Electorate, featuring Chuck Rocha and Cecilia Ballí

Friends and Colleagues:

I got a lot out of this presentation moderated by Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto out of the LBJ School titled,  "A Deep Dive–Texas & the Latino Electorate," featuring Tío Bernie author Chuck Rocha and journalist and anthropologist Dr. Cecilia Ballí to help explain why specific counties, namely Cameron, Starr, and Zapata in S. Texas voted for Trump, as opposed to Biden—when these same counties voted for Bernie during the primaries. 

Specifically, in the primary election, Bernie Sanders won both Cameron and Starr Counties by large margins with Zapata County nearly tied with Joe Biden (see USA Today primary results).

You can read Ballí's important Texas Monthly report from which she derives her analysis and talking points here.

My major takeaway is that Bernie had a good ground game coupled with a robust communication strategy that further consisted of successive investments over time—as opposed to investing in Texas in the last two months of the presidential race when many had already cast their vote.  

Identity, which connects to outreach also matters. So-called Latinos from South Texas don't identify with the term, "Latino" or "Latinx," which means that messaging didn't quite resonate. Note: Nor did "Tejano" or "Chicano" resonate except for some slivers of the population. 

In contrast, what did resonate were national origin identifiers like "Mexican," "Mexican American," and "Guatemalan," and so on. She attributes this to the ongoing history of migration to Texas.

Related to the ground game, personal contact that consists of political engagement and empowerment cannot be underestimated.

I really appreciate Dr. Ballí's statement that unlike what is often experienced by the African American community, people in South Texas did not have a sense of working from  "a sense of collective history or shared struggle." And yet we know that fighting for the franchise, as well as for civil and human rights is very much a part of our history in our state. 

The issue is that this collective memory is not only fragile but—except for Mexican American Studies courses offered as elective courses in some high schools—excluded from our public school curriculum. This despite our current curricular struggle for Mexican American Studies courses in the schools. It's shameful that this history is not already taught as a matter of course.

To this end of curricular inclusion, call whoever represents you and support Texas State Representative Christina Morales' (Houston-D) HB 1504 that call for incorporating at least a half credit in Mexican American Studies and a half credit in African American Studies. 

A final takeaway is that not only that the national and state party structures need to invest in Texas' Mexican American and Latino community, but that the party itself must look more like Texas in the diversity of its leadership and membership. 

There are other gems within, too, like Chuck Rocha's political analysis of the Latino electorate and why Sanders had such a strong showing among South Texas voters in the Texas primary. 

Do take some time out and listen to the entire episode for yourselves. 

Enjoy!

-Angela Valenzuela

LATINO LANDSCAPE SERIES MARCH 1 | A DEEP DIVE: TEXAS & THE LATINO ELECTORATE