Pushing Forward

DURING MY FOUR YEARS AT THE TEXAS Observer, I’ve scrambled after stories about the progressive movement all over the sprawling Lone Star State. So while watching The Pushback—a new documentary that chronicles the Texas left—I sometimes felt the distinct sensation of being followed.

Directed by Kevin Ford with production help from Richard Linklater, is a roving celebration of the Texans—particularly women of color—who are fighting to make our state reckon with its racist past while pushing it toward a more just and equitable future. Spanning from fall of 2018 to February of this year, the film begins during the fevered heights