The Core Blog

One our taglines at Texas Appleseed is “Sowing the Seeds of Justice.” And, as any gardener knows, it can take a long time and a lot of work to see those seeds grow and bear fruit. The Michael Morton Act and criminal discovery reform is one example of the persistence we know it takes to achieve real reform. Michael Morton was convicted of the murder of his wife and sentenced to life in prison in

Texas cities are taking the lead — both standing up to predatory payday and auto title lending and encouraging market-based fair loans. In September, Texas Appleseed released a city toolkitto share success stories of local efforts to expand fair lending one community at a time. The Community Loan Center, a homegrown employer-based small loan program, is one of a growing array of positive loan products expanding in Texas. Longview, Texas, is the latest Texas city

We are excited to have Sara Pratt, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Programs at HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (now with the civil rights law firm of Relman, Dane & Colfax), talk about her perspective Texas' landmark 2010 Conciliation Agreement, which re-directed more funds to Texans hardest hit by the 2008 hurricanes. Moving Toward Fair and Equitable Disaster Recovery Video of Moving Toward Fair and Equitable Disaster Recovery Over the

In March of 2013, I was introduced to the scourge of payday and auto title lending in Texas. I am embarrassed to say that I had been ignorant of this vicious and aggressive predatory industry. Dallas had recently developed a municipal ordinance that some other cities were adopting to do all that could be done apart from state action to protect their citizens. Faith leaders and community nonprofits were banding together with city council members

Texas Appleseed believes that law school should be accessible to all qualified students, so one of our earliest projects was establishing a scholarship to help students of color expand their law school options. The scholarship covers the full cost of a Kaplan (LSAT) prep course, as well as connects students with mentors who are well-established attorneys. With more than 300 scholarships awarded to date, Texas Appleseed caught up with two former recipients — 2013 recipient

After Hurricane Ike hit Galveston, thousands of people lost their homes. But the state of Texas didn’t spend the disaster recovery funds it received in an equitable way. Below is Texas Appleseed board member Allan Van Fleet’s telling of what happened on the Island in the wake of the hurricane, and how Texas Appleseed helped direct disaster recovery funds to the families who needed them most. My grandparents moved to Texas at the turn of

In 2001, Texas Appleseed convened a focus group to determine what problems immigrant communities faced with respect to financial services. One of the main problems that emerged was a lack of transparency in the remittance industry. Fees varied wildly among storefronts, and there was no guarantee that the money would arrive on time, or that the correct amount would be delivered. Appleseed worked with individuals and financial service stakeholders to identify solutions. Next, we wrote

One of Texas Appleseed's major initiatives in 2016 and 2017 is to end the practice of discretionary suspensions of Texas elementary students. Houston ISD led the state by banning suspensions early in 2016, and El Paso ISD followed over the summer. Watch the video to get an overview from some experts (hint: cute kids ahead), or read this reportto get the details. The Core: June 8, 2016 Video of The Core: June 8, 2016

Yesterday, we told you about how Texas Appleseed helped end the criminalization of truancy. What we didn’t tell you was how it led to a new project for Texas Appleseed. In 2013, I was working primarily on truancy reform, working to change the law so that hundreds of thousands of students would no longer be charged with a criminal offense. One of the most outrageous discoveries that we made during our work was that students

Until 2015, truancy was a criminal offense in Texas. More than one hundred thousand students each year were cited for truancy, had to appear in adult criminal court (no matter what their age), and many ended up with fines, court fees, a criminal record, and for some, jail time. One such student was Jason: Around the same time that Jason’s parents split when he was in high school, his mother’s rheumatoid arthritis worsened, making it

“You can study government and politics in school, but the best way to really understand the process is to volunteer your time.” - Rob McKenna, Former Washington Attorney General In May 2015, Dykema Gossett PLLC and Cox Smith Matthews Inc. joined forces to create Dykema Cox Smith; a more than 450-lawyer firm, with 15 offices, mainly concentrated in Michigan, Illinois, and Texas. Soon after the transition, Pro Bono Counsel for Dykema, Heidi Naasko, called me

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” - Elizabeth Andrew Have you ever thought about what it's like to be homeless at the age of 22? Or 17? Or even younger? What about homeless and without a parent or guardian to guide you? Can you still attend school? What if you get sick? How will you earn a living? How will you get to work even if you can find