Protect the Tradition

Protect the Tradition

Author: NBC News September 27, 2021 Duration: 39:23
It’s Election Day in Southlake, Texas — time to see if the fight over the Carroll school district’s Cultural Competence Action Plan translates into votes.

In the affluent suburb of Southlake, Texas, a community known for its top-ranked schools and tight-knit pride, a single video cracked the carefully maintained facade. Southlake, this documentary podcast from NBC News, delves into the profound conflict that erupted after that 2018 footage showed local high school students chanting a racial slur. The series follows what happened when Black families and students began sharing their own experiences with racism and harassment, prompting the school district to propose a diversity and inclusion initiative known as the Cultural Competence Action Plan. Instead of unifying the community, the plan ignited a fierce and ongoing backlash, pulling parents, educators, and political activists into a heated national debate over race, education, and identity. Each episode of this podcast is built on intimate reporting, featuring the voices of residents at the center of the storm-those advocating for change and those resisting it. Listeners will hear how a local school board struggle became a microcosm for America's cultural battles, revealing deep divisions beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect town. The narrative explores the real-world consequences of political rhetoric and the personal costs for families caught in the middle, making this more than just a news story. It's a sustained, character-driven look at how a community grapples with its own conscience.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 16

Southlake
Podcast Episodes
They Came for the Schools [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:40
An exclusive audio excerpt from Mike Hixenbaugh’s new book, “They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms.”
Grapevine - Ep. 6: A Final Lesson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:07
Grapevine votes in a school board election driven by religion and LGBTQ inclusion. The student and teacher at the center of it all decide how to move forward.
Grapevine - Ep. 5: Open The Floodgates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:42
Amid a battle at the Texas statehouse over religion and LGBTQ rights, three nonbinary students reflect on their Grapevine High experiences.
Grapevine - Ep. 4: A Raging Fire [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:09
A man goes public about growing up gay in a fundamentalist Christian home in Texas. A teacher is at a loss after removing LGBTQ symbols from her classroom.
Grapevine - Ep. 3: A Harvest Is Coming [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:43
A student in Grapevine, Texas, plans to escape her mother as she’s caught in an anti-trans battle involving her family, her English teacher and her school.
Grapevine - Ep. 2: The Seven Mountains [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:26
Conservatives aim to embed fringe Christian values in schools. A cellphone company tries to win school board seats to that end, emulating Southlake.
Grapevine - Ep. 1: The Girl And The English Teacher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:21
A mother in Grapevine, Texas, accuses an English teacher of persuading her child to change genders. The teacher and her student tell a different story.
Books and Backlash [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:21
The fight over diversity in Southlake is back in the headlines with a new focus on books. Pressure builds with a federal investigation underway.
Beyond the Bubble [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:57
Four educators -- and one former school board member -- on how the anti-CRT movement is separating them from their careers and their students.
The Debate Channel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:24
As school board candidates debate Southlake’s future, a queer 16-year-old faces off with her principal over his handling of a harassment complaint.