The state of Texas has been the frontlines of many major political battles in recent years, for big topics such as abortion, immigration, gun legislation and LGBTQ+ rights. A new documentary from filmmaker Andrew Morgan, aptly titled ‘Texas, USA’ shows just how critical the battle ground was in the lead up to the 2022 midterm elections, and serves as a warning sound for what’s to come in the state in the lead up to the 2024 Presidential election.
Told through the stories of a group of organizers, activists, and candidates, ‘Texas, USA’ is a film about the fight for real and lasting change in Texas and beyond, featuring candidates and organizers who never give up on our democracy. Available on all digital platforms from October 6, 2023, this is an underdog story about those who are challenging decades of right-wing power across the state and around the country. The film showcases what it takes to fight for a stronger democracy, and in the words of Barbara Jordan, to close the gap between the reality and the promise of America. The film showcases a group of people who challenge traditional views of Texas and its politics; together, they are young, diverse, and progressive.
The film features characters from across Texas in January 2022, in the lead up to primary elections that will define the general election in November. Over the course of the midterm year, they will shape a political ecosystem whose goal is to build power for people in communities who historically have been left out of the political process. The film is not just about politics. Instead it focuses on the humanity and persistence of people who are working for their communities within a democratic process that is on shaky ground.
Throughout the year, they face enormous obstacles in increasingly extreme and anti-democratic policies, including the harshest voter suppression laws in the country.
The three main characters are candidates at different levels. Beto O’Rourke, 50, is running for governor against Greg Abbott, one of the country’s most outspoken conservatives, after losing a high profile race for Senate against Ted Cruz in 2018. Greg Casar, 33, is competing in a newly-formed Congressional district after serving for 6 years as the most progressive member of Austin’s City Council. Lina Hidalgo, 31, is running for re-election as chief executive of Harris County, a county of 4.8 million people that includes the city of Houston. Taken together, these characters paint a picture of a new kind of Texas politician: young, progressive, and deeply connected to Texas’ Latino culture and history.
The film also follows a set of characters who help narrate the issues animating political life in Texas in 2022: Brianna Brown, executive director of the Texas Organizing Project, who is leading one of the largest mobilization of Black voters in the state’s history; Tory Gavito, executive director of Way To Win, who is raising tens of millions of dollars from around the country to support candidates and organizations in Texas and the Southwest; Adri Perez, a trans advocate and strategist, who is mobilizing trans families to fight back against cruel new regulations enacted by the state; Anthony Graves, who spent 18 years in prison for a murder he did not commit and is confronting Texas’ policy of over-incarceration; and Hannah Horick, an abortion advocate, who is organizing Democrats in her small, conservative city in response to Texas’ abortion ban and the rollback of Roe v. Wade.
As we look ahead to next year’s pivotal election year, as well as numerous elections held in November this year, we had the opportunity to speak with ‘Texas, USA’ producer Sarah Labowitz – a political organizer-turned-filmmaker. As a Houston-based policy expert, Sarah previously worked in leadership roles at the ACLU of Texas and the City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department, and was a policy advisor at the U.S. Department of State. She co-founded and co-directed the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.
This is Sarah’s first film project, and she shared some of her insights as a producer on ‘Texas, USA’, and why all Americans, not just those in Texas, need to pay attention to the messages being shared.
Can you tell us how you initially got involved in the making of ‘Texas, USA’?
I was the policy director for the ACLU of Texas during the terrible 2021 legislative session, when the legislature banned abortion, legalized carrying a gun without a permit, and dramatically changed the elections laws to make it harder to vote. It was hard to lose so much that year. In May 2021, I called Andrew Morgan, who I’d known since his 2015 film, ‘The True Cost’, and said that there was an amazing story unfolding in Texas. It started a conversation that’s still going two and a half years later.
As a policy expert based in Texas, why was this film important to you personally in the lead up to the 2022 mid-term elections?
Working for policy change is what I’ve done my whole career. But the tools that we use for policy change – lobbying, research, and even organizing – were not enough. What was missing was a story that would help us understand who’s fighting for change, and invite us to join them.
What are you most excited about for audiences to see among the people featured in the film?
Most people don’t think of Texas politicians and their supporters as being young, progressive, multiracial, and inspiring. I’m excited for people to see that side of Texas.
Grassroots organizing seems to be a vital part of how political change is made, especially in states like Texas. What are some of the exciting grassroots actions you’ve seen over the past few years in your home state?
Most of us only think about politics every few years, when there’s a big election on the ballot. One of the things I’m glad we were able to do in the film is show that we also have to care about what kind of government we’re electing and what they’re doing for us, to give us a reason to vote for those people again. One example of this is the campaign for paid sick leave that we show in the film. The city government can pass an ordinance that everyone is entitled to paid sick leave, and organizers fought for that (and won!) in Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio.
Can you tell us more about Brianna Brown from the Texas Organizing Project and the work she is doing that was featured in the film?
The Texas Organizing Project is a multiracial community organizing group in Texas. Brianna is TOP’s executive director and a longtime organizer. She led the biggest effort ever to mobilize Black voters in Texas during the 2022 election – her group alone contacted 1.4 million people! It was amazing to capture that work on film. There are groups like TOP everywhere in the country. They organize on the issues that are important to the people in that place, like disaster recovery, high energy bills, worker protections, or abortion access. People everywhere can get involved in the kind of organizing that Brianna and TOP do.
Candidates talk about democracy being at stake, and it’s true. What’s at stake in Texas going into 2024, that will impact the whole country?
Voting rights is the big one. The Supreme Court undid a lot of the protections for voting rights about ten years ago, so in a lot of the country, it’s much harder to vote than it was a decade ago. At the same time, there’s so much noise around elections that ends up confusing people about voting. I’m sad that Texas is a leader in suppressing the vote. I’m that person who texts my friends to make sure that they have all the information they need to vote, and I also work for my local elections office as a poll worker. “Protecting democracy” feels big and hairy – working a shift at the polls or sending someone a reminder text is much more doable.
‘Texas, USA’ is about the mid-terms. Why is it still relevant going into the 2024 Presidential election?
A lot of people who didn’t used to care about politics do now, especially with the abortion bans and so many climate disasters. Politics are popular again – almost like sports in how people pay attention or follow their favorite candidates. It’s easy to be jaded, especially if you live in a place where the election rules have been rigged to give one party an advantage. Some of the characters in our film win. And nobody thought they could win in Texas. Some of them lose. Some are fighting for change beyond winning an election at all. They’re all in it for long-term change.
If you want to live in a place that respects who you are and even supports you to live a good life, that’s a fight that’s going to require political action for many years to come. 2024 is going to be big, but the main message is that it’s bigger than any single election.
What should we be on high alert about, and what gives you hope for the future?
Wherever you live, you should be on high alert about voting. Everyone should go to vote411.org whenever there’s an election to make sure that you’re still registered, you know when and where to vote, and what’s going to be on your ballot. It’s totally nonpartisan and very helpful.
In Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin in the last year, we’ve seen massive statewide mobilizations to protect against attacks on abortion rights. How inspiring!
Why did you choose to enter the world of filmmaking after working in Policy for a long time? What is it about films that can create change in a way different to politics?
I’ve seen firsthand how movies change people – a great documentary can reorganize how we see ourselves or how we see the world. When I was a researcher at NYU Stern, I wrote a lot of policy papers about the fashion industry. Andrew’s film about fast fashion, ‘The True Cost’, reached so many more people than my papers and helped inspire people to change the way they shopped. I was jealous of that kind of impact!
I live in Houston because there’s a political transformation happening here, and it was a story that I wanted more people to know about. We need smart policy and great research, and we also need powerful stories. For me, policy work is about figuring out what needs to be done. Filmmaking is about showing people it can be done.
What do you hope viewers will think about or take action on after watching ‘Texas, USA’?
It’s been amazing hearing from people who maybe have been a little intimidated by politics and when they watch the movie, they feel like they can get involved in making their community better. That’s my hope for people watching it – that they can see themselves in the characters and want to jump in, whatever that looks like for them.
‘Texas, USA’ will be available to watch on all digital platforms October 6, 2023.
