We Sorted Through 150 TribFest Events. These Five Stood Out.
Free events Saturday
By Maya Wright, Fri., Sept. 22, 2023
The Texas Tribune Festival returns to Downtown Austin this week, Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 21-23. The festival brings nearly 300 scheduled speakers together to examine trends in policy and politics; among the weekend's 152 events, here are five of the most interesting. Select events may be accessible through livestreaming platforms as listed on the Tribune's program details. Tickets ($50-$750) are available on the festival's website at festival-platform.texastribune.org.
Open Congress
No ticket required!
Open Congress is the Tribune's free portion of the festival, which consists of 25 different session events on Congress Avenue on Saturday. Choose one of the four tents at the festival to hear from a range of speakers who will be discussing hot topics like the power grid, immigration, maternal health, and even barbecue.
Recording of the Teaching Texas Podcast
Fri., Sept. 22, 9-10am at the Omni Hotel Downtown. Non-ticketholders can hear the podcast when it airs.
Teaching Texas will live-record an episode for their podcast on Friday. Host and creator of the podcast Grace Lynch will be sitting down with Kevin Ellis of the Texas State Board of Education and Austin state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. As part of the podcast's mission to "uncover the surprising history behind America's latest culture war," this particular episode will reflect on our state's new textbook approval process.
The Paxton Prosecution
Sat., Sept. 23, 9-10am at the Omni Hotel Downtown.
This roundtable event will review the just-concluded impeachment trial against Ken Paxton and feature the three lead prosecutors on the case: Rusty Hardin, Dick DeGuerin, and Harriet O'Neill, moderated by Tribune political reporter Patrick Svitek. If you're interested in learning more about how prosecutors built their case against Paxton, then this will be the one for you.
Race and Higher Ed
Sat., Sept. 23, 2-3pm at the Omni's Pennybacker room.
The Supreme Court's decision in June to end affirmative action in college admissions raised questions about the future of education. Ruth Simmons from Rice University will be accompanied in this panel by several other higher ed reform leaders to take on this question, moderated by Tribune reporter Kate McGee.
Loyal Opposition
Sat., Sept. 23, 4:15-5:15pm at the Capital Factory inside the Omni Hotel Downtown.
The 2023 legislative session left a lot to unpack, and Texans can expect to see more of its impact and implementation before the year is up. Join this group of Texas House Democrats to break down which issues legislation addressed and which were left out. Featured reps include John Bryant and Victoria Neave Criado of Dallas, and Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio.
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