Civil rights aren’t dead in Texas, but according to many, they are most certainly on life support.
Still, several individuals and organizations are fighting to preserve and expand those rights.
What are Civil Rights?
Civil rights encompass the fundamental rights and freedoms that protect individuals from discrimination and ensure equal treatment under the law. They include the right to vote, the right to a fair trial, the right to public education, the right to use public facilities and more. These rights are often guaranteed by national constitutions, laws and international agreements aimed at safeguarding individuals’ rights to a good life.
Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, possesses a broader view of civil rights.
“Most folks think about voting rights as the heart of civil rights,” said Garza, who is originally from a Texas border community. “But I think about it a lot more expansively. I think of civil rights as really about human dignity and equal protection under the law.”
Garza grew up witnessing her parents fight for access to education and basic healthcare for her differently-abled brother Robbie.
“When I think about civil rights, I think about ensuring human dignity regardless of where you come from, what you look like, your experience,” shared Garza. “Civil rights are not just voting rights, but access to healthcare, a just criminal system, a lot of things.”
Even immigration.
“Immigration is always that entry point for taking away civil rights (from everyone), increasing surveillance, increasing criminalization. We have to think about immigration as part of the civil rights ecosystem,” added Garza.
Attack on civil rights
Countless individuals have decried the attack on civil rights in the Lone Star State, regarding attacks on educational access, voting rights, LGBTQA rights, and more.
“In today’s Texas, civil rights are under attack on multiple fronts,” said State Rep. Ron Reynolds (Dist. 27). “We are watching anti-DEI legislation erase our stories from universities. We are seeing reproductive freedoms stripped away. We are battling for Medicaid expansion in one of the wealthiest states in the nation, while millions go without care. And we are still fighting to end the school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately traps Black and Brown youth.”
Reynolds also mentioned the current effort by Gov. Greg Abbott to create redistricted voting maps.
“We believe it dilutes communities of color, which does not allow us to elect a candidate of our choice,” said Reynolds.
In a Martin Luther King Jr. Day statement (Jan 2025), Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa and Co‑Executive Director Jamarr Brown declared, “Texas Republicans have pushed through some of the most egregious voter suppression legislation … aimed at silencing the voices and blocking the votes of millions of Black and Hispanic voters… we will do whatever it takes to protect the freedom to vote.”
Chas Moore, of the Austin Justice Coalition, sees the attack coming from all angles and consistently for decades.
“There’s always been an attack on our very existence … it’s sad to say that we’re true to daily struggles of just existing as Black people,” said Moore. “We’ve been through Jim Crow, we’ve been through the ‘war on drugs,’ we’ve been through the ’90s crime bill … We’ve always, in that same breath, been organizing and fighting for humanity and fighting for our rightful place in society as Americans.”
“Texas is always that testing ground for undermining and taking away of civil rights due to the conservative majority we have here,” she pointed out. “But I always say, as much as we are that testing ground, we are also a beacon of hope when it comes to fighting for civil rights.
From Garza’s perspective, it’s more complicated.
“The litigation that led to the expansion of civil rights, like Roe v. Wade, was a case that came out of Texas. Lawrence v. Texas (2003) predated marriage equality,” Garza continued. “Even a case I was involved in, Garza v. Hargan, ensured reproductive justice for immigrant teens in detention. All this work has come from our state, to ensure not just the protection of civil rights but the expansion of them. It’s complicated, but the state of civil rights is always in play here.”
Rights most in danger
That said, the attack on civil rights in Texas is real. Here is a list of some of those rights being threatened.
- Voting rights & fair representation: Ongoing mid‑decade redistricting efforts are believed to be aimed at diluting Black and Hispanic voting power in Texas, prompting legal challenges.
- Immigrant protections & racial profiling: Laws like SB4 empower law enforcement to question immigration status, leading to fears of unconstitutional stops based on race.
- Educational equity & free speech: According to the American Civil Liberties Union, proposed curriculum restrictions targeting discussions of race and critical race theory risk suppressing inclusive education.
- Media and community voice: Federal cuts to public broadcasting threaten outlets serving Black and Hispanic communities, and will reduce platforms for marginalized dialogue.
- Title IX: Governor Abbott’s directive for schools to ignore updated federal Title IX regulations means fewer supports for LGBTQ and pregnant students
Garza believes the issues of immigration and voting rights combined are being used to undermine democracy in Texas.
“We heard a lot about non-citizen voting in the last election cycle. But the fact is, you are more likely to be struck by lightning than to have an incident of non-citizen voting,” shared Garza. “But what we see happen at the Texas Legislature is further criminalization of simple mistakes people make when it comes to voting.”
Take action
Here’s a list of suggested actions that various local activists and organizations offered as ways to fight to maintain civil rights.
- Education & civic training: Deploy “know‑your‑rights” workshops to prepare people for encounters under SB4 and similar policies.
- Direct engagement: Organize marches, caravans, town hall meetings and letter campaigns. Participate in public hearings and protests.
- Legal challenges & litigation: Groups like LULAC and NAACP have filed lawsuits to contest voter suppression and profiling laws.
- Voting wisely & coalition‑building: Leaders emphasize voting “intelligently”—supporting candidates who challenge these threats—and cross‑racial organizing across multiple Texas cities.
- Contact: Call or email elected officials, especially in minority‑heavy districts, demanding fair redistricting and voter protection.
- Support: Donate or participate in local legal advocacy groups (e.g., NAACP, ACLU, LULAC, etc.).
