On Saturday, April 22, Texas House Democratic Caucus members will host individual rallies in Austin, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and Plano. The legislators are inviting members of those communities to attend the protests as a statewide show of solidarity against what Democrats are calling “major legislative efforts (from state Republican lawmakers) to roll back civil rights of communities across Texas.”
Here are what some of those Texas Democratic legislators had to say in the days leading up to Saturday’s statewide protests:
Our communities have fought, bled, and sometimes died fighting for our civil rights over the past century. It has only been recently that our communities have had a seat at the table. Now, there are dozens of pieces of legislation to roll back the rights that we have earned. They are telling us we are no longer welcome at the table and we should go back to begging for scraps. We refuse.
Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston)
Collin County, and Texans across our state, are rejecting extremism, divisive politics, and the politics of hatred and injustice. House Democrats are standing up for the people — hard-working families, children, teachers, health care workers, first responders, small businesses. House Democrats are focused on bread-and-butter issues like public education, economic development, women’s healthcare, voting rights, and public safety while our colleagues on the other side are focused on red meat hyper partisan issues. This day of action should send a clear message to Texas Republican leadership.
Rep. Mihaela Plesa (D-Collin County)
House Democrats will not stand idly by as Republicans try to turn back the clock on hard fought rights. Across the state, the Texas GOP is targeting all that makes our state the best in the nation. Texas is one of the most diverse states in the nation and a state becoming more diverse with every day. And if you don’t like that, then move because we certainly aren’t.
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio)
Statewide Events
HOUSTON
Event Type: March
Start Time: 11 a.m.
Start Location: Antioch Park, 554 Clay St., Houston, Texas, 77002
End Location: City Hall, 901 Bagby St., Houston, Texas 77002
End Time: 1 p.m.
PLANO
Event Type: March
Start Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: Haggard Park, 901 E 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75074
AUSTIN
Event Type: Rally/Protest
Start Time: Noon
Start Location: Texas Capitol, South Steps
EL PASO
Event Type: March
Start Time: 10:30 a.m.
Start Location: The park at the corner of Campbell and San Antonio
Marching to San Jacinto Plaza, 114 W Mills Ave, El Paso, Texas 79901
SAN ANTONIO
Event Type: Rally/Protest
Start Time: 2 p.m.
Start Location: First UU Church (7150 I-10, San Antonio, Texas 78213)
End Time: 4 p.m.