Media Coverage

Faith in Texas in Dallas Morning News: ‘Never again,’ faithful say on second day of Juneteenth rallies

June 22, 2020

Dallas faithful looked to the deaths of Black people past and present on Saturday to shout “Never again!,” while others eyed the future in calling for turning the current tide of emotions and energy toward institutional change and higher voter turnout. A second day of Juneteenth rallies began with a march — or as pastor […]

Faith in Texas “Never Again” Pilgrimage for Black Lives Featured on Fox4 News

June 22, 2020

Hundreds of people took a stand Saturday to put a spotlight on the recent Black Lives Matter movement. They said this uprising will continue until all Black people can live in full freedom with the dignity they deserve. … “It’s a call to tear down the system of white supremacy and other things that are […]

Tiara Cooper on Fox4 News: Officials release 1,000 inmates to ease crowding, slow spread of COVID-19 at Dallas County jail

April 17, 2020

Jails across the country are seeing more and more inmates and workers infected. In Dallas County, there is an effort to control the spread by releasing some inmates. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed 42 positive cases of COVID-19 in inmates. That’s 30 more than were reported this past week. … Tiara Cooper, formerly […]

Faith in Texas in Dallas Examiner: Civil Rights Leaders Call for COVID-19 Protections in Texas Jails

April 6, 2020

The ACLU of Texas and a coalition of civil rights leaders sent almost 500 letters last week to criminal justice officials urging them to take public health experts’ advice and release individuals who are at high risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 from county jails. Specifically, the focus is placed on communities in […]

Tiara Cooper in FOX4 News: Five Inmates in Dallas County Jail Diagnosed with COVID-19

March 29, 2020

At least five inmates who have been in the Dallas County jail have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown said the first inmate to test positive was a male inmate in his 40s who had been there since December. He was housed in a shared unit with about 50 other inmates. Those inmates […]

Rev. Wes Helm on WPAB: Advocacy Groups Call for Rent & Utility Relief During Coronavirus Emergency

March 20, 2020

Advocacy groups are calling for rent and utility relief during the coronavirus emergency A petition effort calls for the City of Dallas and Dallas County to place an immediate moratorium on all evictions and utility shut-offs. In the meantime, Wes Helm with ‘Faith in Texas‘ suggests that residents contact their utility, as some are already deferring […]

Faith in Texas in Inside Philanthropy: As State Governments Stifle Local Democracy, Funders and Nonprofits Are Fighting Back

September 11, 2019

In recent years, democracy reformers across the U.S. have been pushing back against state-level practices that undermine the ability of ordinary Americans to make their voices heard and ensure that government is responsive to their needs. But while battles over partisan gerrymandering and voter suppression have received wide attention, there’s also a growing effort to […]

Faith in Texas in Medium: Will Other States Follow California’s Flip from Red to Blue?

August 16, 2019

There is no shortage of progressive grassroots organizations in Texas. The Industrial Areas Foundation has been at for decades, and Texas Tribunecounts more than 100 organizations in its grassroots directory. Efforts to handcuff conservative Christianity and the Republican party are being countered by organizations such as Faith in Texas, whose agenda includes voter engagement, ending unnecessary incarceration, and bringing working class communities into economic policy discussions.

Wes Helm and Lola Vinson in The Washington Post: In God’s Country

August 14, 2019

A little before our trip to Farmersville, I met Lola Vinson and Wes Helm, members of a multiracial, progressive community organizing group called Faith in Texas, whose projects have included local criminal-justice reform, anti-police-brutality efforts, a living-wage campaign and agitation against predatory lending. Working with several faith groups in Texas, including evangelicals, is key to the organization’s mission, and I wondered how Vinson and Helm’s experience might have shifted since Trump’s ascendancy.