Vote on July 14th! Go Sara!

July 14, 2020 is the last day to vote. You can find your polling location by clicking HERE!

The people are now in a position to support a new and friendlier face for the Senator seat. Sara Stapleton-Barrera's platform focuses on issues that are more in line with what the Democratic Party proclaims they support. She has taken the time to speak with the community through online livestreams, many of which can be seen on her campaign's Facebook account, and in person, before the lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign called her opponent, Senator Eddie Lucio Jr, "the most conservative Democrat" in the Texas Senate, a title also mentioned by both the Texas Observer and Texas Signal, while his constituents keep the classic #SucioLucio nickname alive at public demonstrations and in online discussions, one they say he's earned due to his dirty politics.

Lucio has been the target of much criticism "because of his anti-worker, anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-immigrant, anti-choice, anti-environment, and anti-public education voting record" (fromSD27.com). Recently, more controversial information have come to light, including an interview in which he admitted to making money by building jails and prisons (It's a long interview, so use the Find in Page function and search for "You build a prison") and records showing his acceptance of donations from charter school PACs for moving money away from an already struggling public education system (The links labeled "2015" and "2017" show where his support lies).

I urge you all to put on your masks, cover both your mouth AND your nose, and please go vote.

Put on your Mask and VOTE!

ELECTION DAY is JULY 14

https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do

Find your voting location!

BROWNSVILLE EARLY VOTING

July 6 – 10, 8am – 8pm

Vote at any of the locations below!

Cameron County Courthouse Judicial Complex

954 E. Harrison St

Brownsville Central Library

2600 Central Blvd

Southmost Public Library

4320 Southmost Road

Cameron Park Community Center (El Centro Cultural)

2100 Gregory Ave

Texas Southmost College

Mary Rose Cardenas South R 115 80

Fort Brown New Horizon Medical Center

191 E Price Rd

Bob Clark Social Services Center

9901 California Rd

Brownsville Bright is committed to making Brownsville bright. This is why, for whatever I'm worth, I'm endorsing Sara Stapleton-Barrera over #SucioLucio.

For more information on why I have used that term for our current senator and why I feel he is not my choice in the upcoming election, I present this statement, signed by a number of community members from Senate District 27.


"To the Members of the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus,

As Mexican-Americans and Rio Grande Valley residents, we are disappointed that you have blatantly ignored the calls against state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr.'s record that has harmed our Valley community for over 30 years.

Recently, there have been disparaging attacks vilifying and questioning our decision as Valley residents to continue using the nickname “Sucio Lucio,” a moniker that previous community members have used to describe the dirty political tactics Senator Lucio has employed for decades. Sen. Lucio has earned the title of “Sucio Lucio” because of his anti-worker, anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-immigrant, anti-choice, anti-environment, and anti-public education voting record.

Sen. Lucio’s campaign claims we are using this term to be racist despite knowing that we are using it to call out his dirty dealings and politics. El es un político sucio. If he is concerned about racism, why did he fail to speak up when it mattered the most? There was no statement issued by his campaign in response to the various Black Lives Matter protests that were held in his district at a time when race relations were resonating nationally and shared locally. He prefers to represent and maintain relationships with far-right activists, anti-LGBT groups, extreme anti-abortion groups, and more. We are Sen. Lucio’s constituents and are calling him out for failing us.

Sen. Lucio and his colleagues in the Rio Grande Valley have enjoyed years in office without listening to constituents’ concerns. They have used the Democratic Party label to get elected without question. Most of us have organized and lobbied with the support and training from organizations like Planned Parenthood Texas Votes and Texas Freedom Network, and have experienced first-hand our legislators’ refusal to talk with their constituents. The new generation of Valley voters will not stand behind representatives that vote for anti-LGBT, anti-choice, anti-worker, anti-environment, and anti-immigrant legislation.

This runoff election between Sen. Lucio and Sara Stapleton Barrera is an opportunity for SD 27 to lead the conversation and uplift the voices who have been calling Sen. Lucio out on his dirty politics. It is time to elect someone who will listen and fight for us. We will continue to organize and call him out the way we see fit, as it is our community and our lives on the line."

The Personal Post Months in the Making

Written on 20 November 2019

Warning, this post is written a bit more casually and stream-of-thought, as I have yet to get back into the swing of things, but I wanted to log back in and give a quick update on the state of Brownsville Bright and myself.

It has been way too long since I posted here, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been stuff going on in town. I've still been attending events, supporting causes, and doing what I can to help other activists work in our community, along with just trying to take care of my physical and mental health.

I wrote for Las Imaginistas [1][2] for the last half of 2018, was involved in the creative storywriting of a card game for a company in Austin, was attending the Democratic Party meetings whenever I could, and took on some roles at the Unitarian Universalist Church here in Brownsville. There's a lot more I want to do, and I'm hoping all the experience I've gained in this time will help me to it well.

I have some photos and random attempts at writing from events I've attended, and I'll most likely just post about them and upload, talking about them in retrospect.

Thank you for reading, and take care.

– JFTii

Written on 7 July 2020

And we're back!

I didn't think I'd be out this long, but life got pretty heavy. To be completely honest, I'm doubting whether this will make up onto the site as I write it out. I hope it does. You all deserve an update, and I really need to get things off my chest.

First of all, I'm trans. I've been queer for a while, but it wasn't until sometime last year that I started hinting at it. I slowly revealed more and more over time until last month when I outright posted a statement on social media. I am grateful for all the support from my friends who accept me. I would appreciate you all calling me Xandra from now on. Thank you for understanding. I will be sharing my thoughts on this year's Brownsville Pride events in a later post.

Second, it's important to take care of yourself. I started this blog early 2016 with the support of a very close friend. I lost contact with her a few months after, and it hurts terribly even now. Still, I worked to keep this blog running that year, ignoring the pain until it nearly ended me. Fortunately, I'm still here, and I've been seeing a therapist for the last four years. Mental health is not a joke. It's important to get things off your chest, to feel like you're being heard, to have difficult discussions about yourself. That's how you find solutions. I won't dwell on this any longer, but know that I'm here to listen if you need help.

Lastly, just because I haven't posted in a few years doesn't mean I haven't tried to stay involved in organizing. I still care deeply about Brownsville, but I haven't had the energy to write until now. An unexpected message from an Instagram account, Ojo de Bronsbil, asked me for permission to use some photos I took of a Confederate monument, and it reminded me of how amazing it felt to do this kind of work. We the people have the power to make a difference by speaking up against injustices and for progress, by connecting with officials and the community, by researching, fact-checking, passing information along.

Forgive me if this post feels jumbled. I feel jumbled writing it, but I'll get through that, and my upcoming posts will be much more understandable.

Take care, wear a mask, and it's good to be back.

– Xandra Trevino