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Southlake

NBC News·Hosted by Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton·16 episodes

NewsPoliticsSocietyCultureDocumentaryReported documentarySerialized seasonsTexas schoolsCulture war politics35-50 minNBC News

Southlake, Texas, seems to have it all: stately homes, intense civic pride, and above all, terrific schools. So when a video surfaced in 2018 showing Southlake high school students chanting the N-word—and when Black residents came forward to share stories of racist harassment and bullying—the school board vowed to make changes. But the unveiling of the Cultural Competence Action Plan set off a backlash that’s consumed Southlake, fueled by a growing national crusade against critical race theory. Hosted by NBC News national reporter Mike Hixenbaugh (host of the hit podcast Do No Harm) and NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton...

Why listen

Southlake is a reported documentary series from NBC News journalists Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton about how one Texas school district became a national flashpoint over race, education, and political power. It plays like a local story with national consequences, using interviews, school board conflict, parent activism, and student experiences to show how culture-war politics enter everyday civic life. Listeners who like deeply reported narrative journalism about schools, identity, and American politics will get the most from it.

Series(2)

Episodes

2 min
Jun 8, 2026bonus
Dateline Presents: Five Miles From Home

As a bonus for Southlake fans, we’re sharing the trailer for Five Miles From Home, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Keith Morrison. When beloved high school junior Micaela Costanzo disappears on her way home from track practice, the race to find her leads to unlikely suspects, simmering rage, and unimaginable betrayal. Keith Morrison takes us to a small Nevada casino town to find out what really happened that night under the desert sky.   If you like what you hear, just search Five Miles From Home to listen to the first two episodes now, completely free. Or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all Dateline podcasts ad-free. swap.fm/l/fmfhlwfd Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2 min
Mar 10, 2026
Dateline Presents: Trace of Suspicion

As a bonus for Southlake fans, we’re sharing the trailer for Trace of Suspicion, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Josh Mankiewicz.   After seemingly healthy 23-year-old Marine Todd Sommer dies unexpectedly, his widow Cindy’s lavish spending, cosmetic surgery, and wild partying raise investigators’ suspicions. They accuse her of poisoning him with arsenic for his life insurance, setting off a criminal case that takes a stunning turn... Josh Mankiewicz sits down with the woman at the center of it all in Dateline’s newest podcast.    If you like what you hear, just search Trace of Suspicion to listen to the first two episodes now, completely free. Or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all Dateline podcasts ad-free. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2 min
Dec 2, 2025
Dateline Presents: Something About Cari

As a bonus for Southlake fans, we’re sharing the trailer for Something About Cari, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Keith Morrison. In this podcast Keith Morrison takes us to America’s heartland, where single mom Cari Farver disappears just weeks into a new romance. What follows is a series of strange and terrifying events, including taunting texts and threatening emails to Cari's boyfriend and his ex that escalate to stalking, arson and murder. But nothing could prepare friends, family, and investigators for the mind-bending twist that would come next… If you like what you hear, just search Something About Cari to listen to the first two episodes now, completely free. Or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or DatelinePremium.com. Subscribers get early access to new episodes and can listen to all Dateline podcasts ad-free. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

18 min
Nov 4, 2025
NBC News Studios Presents Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder

Hey Southlake fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing a special preview of Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder, an all-new original podcast series from NBC News Studios. Unfolding over 12 richly told episodes, the podcast will explore, in intimate detail, the twists and turns of this fascinating and confounding case as it hits its milestone 50th anniversary.  Built upon a decade of original reporting, the series features multiple exclusive interviews with Michael Skakel, whose conviction for the killing was overturned and who is speaking publicly about the case for the first time ever. To start listening, search “Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder” and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, for new episodes every week. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

3 min
Oct 28, 2025
Introducing Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder

Hey NBC News Studios fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder an all-new original podcast series from NBC News Studios. Hosted by veteran journalist Andrew Goldman, Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder, is sure to hook listeners, in the vein of Serial and Making a Murderer. Unfolding over 12 richly told episodes, the podcast will explore, in intimate detail, the twists and turns of this fascinating and confounding case as it hits its milestone 50th anniversary.  The series is built upon a decade of original reporting, brand new investigative information, firsthand voices, and a half century of archival audio – as well as multiple interviews with Michael Skakel, who is speaking publicly for the first time ever. To start listening, search “Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder” and follow for new episodes every week. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 min
Oct 6, 2025
Introducing: The Last Appeal

Hey Southlake fans! As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer for The Last Appeal an all-new original podcast series from Dateline and Lester Holt.In this series, Lester Holt takes listeners inside the urgent case of Robert Roberson, a Texas father set to be executed on October 16th for the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter. Lester is on the ground in Texas, where he examines the evidence against Roberson and talks to the people closest to the case, including the lead detective, who now believes he helped put an innocent man behind bars. Lester’s exclusive interviews reveal critical information the jury never heard. This series will confront listeners with questions about justice and truth, and perhaps the most haunting question of all: Is an innocent man about to be put to death? To start listening, just search “The Last Appeal”. And remember to follow for new episodes releasing each day this week. For ad-free listening, subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or DatelinePremium.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

40 min
May 14, 2024
They Came for the Schools

In an exclusive audio excerpt from Chapter 1 of “They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms,” author Mike Hixenbaugh uncovers Southlake’s history, demonstrating how policies meant to protect the town from outside development a half-century ago helped plant the seeds for conflicts over diversity, equity and inclusion—conflicts that are now tearing apart suburbs across the nation.For more details and to purchase the book, on sale May 14, 2024, follow this link: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/they-came-for-the-schools-mike-hixenbaugh?variant=41284682088482 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

6 min
Feb 15, 2024
Special preview of Into America presents: Uncounted Millions

On Into America presents: Uncounted Millions: The Power of Reparations, award-winning MSNBC correspondent Trymaine Lee dives into one of today’s most pressing debates: reparations. Months ago, Trymaine discovered the little-known story of Gabriel Coakley and it blew his mind. In the midst of the Civil War, Coakley was among a handful of Black people who found a way to get compensated for slavery by the US government. On Uncounted Millions, Trymaine talks to Coakley’s descendants about how reparations forever changed their family’s trajectory. And as more cities and states consider the issue at a policy level, he imagines how reparations might shape the whole of Black America.  Listen to this special preview now. And follow the show: https://link.chtbl.com/iapum_fdlw

49 min
Nov 27, 2023Episode 6
Grapevine - Ep. 6: A Final Lesson

Grapevine goes to the polls in a contentious school board election driven by the fight over the role of religion and LGBTQ inclusion in public schools. As the dust settles, Ren reflects on the impact of her mother’s allegations. And, after months of feeling as if she’s had to erase herself, Em Ramser reclaims her voice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

44 min
Nov 27, 2023Episode 5
Grapevine - Ep. 5: Open The Floodgates

Evangelical activists open a new front in their campaign to impose their version of biblical morality in public schools — at the Texas statehouse. While legislators debate bills requiring the Ten Commandments and banning mention of gender identity in classrooms, three nonbinary students share the trauma they’ve endured at Grapevine High. Meanwhile, a coalition of progressive parents and disillusioned conservatives pledge to retake control of their school system. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

43 min
Nov 27, 2023Episode 4
Grapevine - Ep. 4: A Raging Fire

Weston Brown, 28, sees a video of his homeschooling mother calling for dozens of books on sexuality and gender to be banned from public schools in another Texas school district. To counter her political activism, Weston publicly shares his story of growing up gay in a fundamentalist Christian family. Feeling pressured by parents and school officials, Em Ramser removes LGBTQ symbols from her classroom and no longer recognizes the teacher she’s become. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

47 min
Nov 27, 2023Episode 3
Grapevine - Ep. 3: A Harvest Is Coming

Amid a growing anti-trans backlash, Ren devises a plan to get out of Texas — and away from her mother. In Grapevine, Sharla’s claim that teacher Em Ramser “infected” her child with lies about gender triggers online attacks, leading Ramser to consider leaving the profession. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

44 min
Nov 27, 2023Episode 2
Grapevine - Ep. 2: The Seven Mountains

Conservatives are gaining power in Grapevine, fueled by a once-fringe movement that calls on evangelicals to control the seven key “mountains” of American society — including education. A cellphone company with a Christian nationalist agenda heeds that call and sets its sights on winning school board seats in Grapevine, following an example set a year earlier in the neighboring city of Southlake.CORRECTION (Oct. 4, 2023, 08:40 p.m. ET): A previous version of this episode misstated the amount of money Patriot Mobile Action spent in school board elections in North Texas in spring 2022. It was nearly $500,000, not $600,000.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

43 min
Nov 27, 2023Episode 1
Grapevine - Ep. 1: The Girl And The English Teacher

A mother named Sharla publicly accuses a high school teacher in Grapevine, Texas, of using a graphic novel called “The Prince and the Dressmaker” to convince her child to change genders. Reporters Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton set out to investigate the allegation. Sharla’s child, Ren, and Ren’s English teacher, Em Ramser, tell them a different story. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

20 min
Oct 4, 2023
Special Preview of Grapevine

Two years after conservative activists in Southlake, Texas, turned critical race theory into a right-wing rallying cry, the political fight has shifted. Now, the team behind the Peabody Award-winning podcast Southlake tells the story of one family broken apart in the midst of a new anti-LGBTQ culture war, and the high school English teacher caught in the middle. This is a special preview of episode 1 of Grapevine, a new six-part podcast series from NBC News Studios. To listen to the first two episodes, follow now: https://link.chtbl.com/grapevine_alw_

5 min
Jun 12, 2023
BONUS: Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News

As a bonus for listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News,” a new original podcast series from MSNBC. In each episode, Rachel Maddow and co-host Isaac-Davy Aronson seek a deeper understanding of a story in today's headlines by asking: Has anything like this ever happened before? Would knowing that help us grapple with what’s happening now… and what might happen next? Listen to the first episode now and follow the series: https://link.chtbl.com/rmpdn_fdlw

1 min
Feb 20, 2023
Introducing Letters from Sing Sing

As a bonus for Southlake listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Letters from Sing Sing, a new original podcast from NBC News Studios. Letters from Sing Sing tells the story of a man convicted of murder, his fight for justice, and how the letters he sent NBC News producer Dan Slepian sparked a 20-year investigation that changed both of their lives. Listen to the first two episodes now: https://link.chtbl.com/lfss_fdlw

4 min
Oct 31, 2022
Special Preview: “The Revolution with Steve Kornacki”

Steve Kornacki gives a special preview of his new podcast, “The Revolution with Steve Kornacki.” In this six-part original series, Kornacki steps back from the Big Board to tell the origin story of the 1994 Republican “revolution,” the midterm election when the GOP took the House majority for the first time in four decades. Listen to all six episodes now and follow the series: https://link.chtbl.com/trwsk_fdlw

4 min
Oct 10, 2022
Special preview: “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra”

Rachel Maddow gives a special preview of her new podcast, “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra.” In this eight-part original series, Rachel tells an all-but-forgotten true story of American extremism getting supercharged, connecting the dots between sitting members of Congress aiding and abetting a plot to overthrow the government and the lengths they would go to in order to cover their tracks. Listen to the first two episodes now and follow the series: https://link.chtbl.com/rmpu_fdlw

2 min
Sep 20, 2022
Introducing: Internal Affairs

As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer of Internal Affairs, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline.    A sudden moment of terror launches a frantic search for a costumed killer. Reported by Josh Mankiewicz, Internal Affairs is a story about bad choices, a fatal attraction and people who proudly wore badges at work -- while living lies at home.   Listen to the first 2 episodes now, or subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple Podcasts to get early access to new episodes: https://link.chtbl.com/ia_fdlw

8 min
Sep 16, 2022
Presenting Into America: The Power of the Black Vote

With this year’s midterms more critical than ever, MSNBC correspondent Trymaine Lee is taking his podcast, Into America, to some of the country’s most prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities in a special series “Into America: The Power of the Black Vote” to learn how the next generation of Black thinkers and doers are harnessing the power of Democracy to shape America’s future. Listen a preview of the first episode: “Taking Back the Classroom.” And head over to the Into America feed to follow and download the full series. https://link.chtbl.com/ia_tpotbvfd

1 min
Jul 26, 2022
Introducing Dateline: Missing in America

As a bonus for you, we’re sharing the trailer of Dateline: Missing in America, an all-new original podcast series from Dateline. Are you the key to solving a mystery? In this podcast, correspondents Josh Mankiewicz and Andrea Canning report on perplexing missing person cases brought to Dateline’s attention by our social media followers. Each episode will focus on one person’s story, as told by those left behind. Listen carefully to the details, descriptions and clues offered by family, friends and investigators. Something you hear might jog a memory that could help authorities crack a case. Follow Dateline: Missing in America and listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/mia_fdtw

3 min
Jun 14, 2022
Introducing: The Seduction

As a bonus for you, we’re sharing a special preview of The Seduction, a new podcast from Dateline NBC and Keith Morrison.  It’s a twisted love story that unspools like a film noir, where lust and obsession lead to murder and a classic double cross. This original series takes us into the troubled mind of a young man, and the cold heart of a woman who needed her husband dead. If only she could find someone “man enough” to do the deed...  Follow The Seduction and listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/ts_fdlw

3 min
May 30, 2022
Special Preview – Born to Rule: When Charles is King

We’re sharing a sneak peak of Born to Rule: When Charles is King, a new original podcast from TODAY which asks (and answers) the burning questions about Prince Charles and what he might be like as King. Listen to the first two episodes and follow now: https://link.chtbl.com/BTR_LW

3 min
May 9, 2022
Introducing In Their Court

As a bonus for Southlake listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of In Their Court, a new podcast series from NBC News and NBC Sports about the impact of Title IX in women’s basketball and beyond. Follow now and listen to the first two episodes: https://link.chtbl.com/itc_feeddrops

2 min
Apr 11, 2022
Introducing Tiffany Dover Is Dead*

As a bonus for Southlake listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Truthers: Tiffany Dover Is Dead*, a new original podcast from NBC News about misinformation and conspiracy theories. Follow now to get the first two episodes on Monday, April 18: https://link.chtbl.com/ttdis_feeddrop

37 min
Mar 6, 2022
Books and Backlash

The fight over diversity in Southlake’s Carroll Independent School District is back in the headlines and has a new focus — books. Teachers are worried about a new Texas law that limits instruction on contentious topics, and one of them secretly records a meeting in which a Carroll administrator offers an unexpected piece of advice: If teachers share books about the Holocaust with students, the administrator says, then they should also offer books on “opposing perspectives.” Teachers are incredulous, and the recording sets off an international backlash. In this special bonus episode, we speak with a former librarian at Carroll Senior High School, who retired early instead of continuing to navigate the battle over books, as well as a 12-year-old student whose mother pulled him out of the district after he faced severe bullying over his sexuality. And we have new details on what could be a game-changing development in Southlake: a federal civil rights investigation into students’ complaints of discrimination.If you or someone in your life is in distress, you can always call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The toll-free number, 800-273-8255, connects you to a certified crisis center nearby. For more resources, click here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

36 min
Oct 4, 2021
Beyond the Bubble

Five months after the high-stakes local election in Southlake, the city is gearing up for yet another contentious vote. One of the school board members who supported the diversity plan, retired Air Force Col. Dave Almand, is stepping down, and the battle over diversity programs is at the center of the fight to replace him. But he’s far from the only leader to leave a role in public schools this year following attacks from parents opposed to what they see as the quiet creep critical race theory. For this special bonus episode, we sit down with a panel of four educators from across the country who’ve come under fire, including James Whitfield, the first Black principal at a high school a town over from Southlake, whose school board has begun a formal process that could lead to his termination. The educators discuss how the anti-CRT movement is driving them out of their careers—and away from their students. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

39 min
Sep 27, 2021Episode 6
Protect the Tradition

It’s Election Day in Southlake, Texas — time to see if all the fighting over the school district’s Cultural Competence Action Plan translates into votes. A handful of candidates and supporters who want to see new diversity programs rally in Town Square, across from a much larger, rowdier crowd of those backing the conservative slate. “It’s a great town,” one voter shouts over her shoulder. “We want to keep it that way.” After the votes are counted, Southlake becomes a national poster child in the movement to redefine and root out critical race theory. Stuck in the middle is Lane Ledbetter, Carroll’s new school superintendent, who is tasked with bringing the community together — but in a rare interview, he struggles to answer questions about racism in Southlake. On graduation day, Nikki Olaleye says she hopes Southlake’s future doesn’t mirror its past. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

42 min
Sep 20, 2021Episode 5
The Debate Channel

The election to fill two school board seats takes center stage—and becomes a referendum on the school district’s diversity plan. At a secretly recorded meeting, members of Southlake Families PAC grill a prospective candidate about conservative political causes, from opposition to Black Lives Matter to abortion. As school board candidates debate whether Carroll's code of conduct is enough to protect students, a queer 16-year-old takes a complaint of harassment to Carroll Senior High School’s principal — and the response leaves her feeling even less safe at school. In the final days before the election, candidates knock on doors, and outgoing Mayor Laura Hill gives a speech calling opponents of the diversity plan to action. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

38 min
Sep 13, 2021Episode 4
The Circus Comes to Town

Parents in Southlake discover a new label for what's been bothering them about all this diversity, equity and inclusion talk: critical race theory. A new fixation on the academic concept muddies the debate, drowning out the voices of students who’d come forward with stories about racism. Kimberlé Crenshaw, one of the founding scholars of CRT, sheds light on the national battle over the theory, warning of dire consequences. And Tucker Carlson, Dana Loesch, and even Demi Lovato all put a spotlight on Southlake, where the local fight has grown even more divisive — and more personal. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

38 min
Sep 6, 2021Episode 3
The Not-So-Silent Majority

Facing a wave of backlash to its proposed Cultural Competence Action Plan, Southlake’s school board tries to find middle ground — but winds up angering everyone. The school board meeting room turns into a battleground, as scores of conservative parents line up to explain their objections to any changes to the curriculum or disciplinary measures designed to protect students of color. Behind the scenes, with the help of powerful figures like Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, a new political action committee begins work to stop what supporters say is a “liberal takeover” of their school district. They sue to put the diversity plan on hold, and their efforts catch the attention of conservatives outside Southlake.You can read the text of Carroll ISD’s draft diversity plan here.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

39 min
Aug 30, 2021Episode 2
Just a Word

Southlake’s leaders try to bring the community together in the weeks after the viral N-word video. But inside the halls of Carroll High, Black students aren't feeling heard. In the midst of the turmoil, 17-year-old Raven Rolle secretly records her emotional showdown in the principal’s office with a white student who insists that anyone should be able to say the N-word. Meanwhile, the school district is forging ahead with a plan to address racist bullying, but before officials can release it, a pandemic and a national racial reckoning throws everything off track. A friend of Raven’s, Nikki Olaleye, organizes a Black Lives Matter rally in town square—and fear takes hold in Southlake.CORRECTION (Sept. 2, 2021, 04:30 p.m. ET): A previous version of this episode misstated the hotel where the 2018 homecoming dance was held. It was a Hilton hotel, not a Westin. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

34 min
Aug 30, 2021Episode 1
Home of the Dragons

Southlake, Texas, is an immaculate, largely white suburb 30 minutes from Dallas. It’s a magnet for well-off parents looking for public schools that will get their kids into top-tier universities — and it doesn’t hurt that the town’s Carroll High School Dragons routinely compete for the state football championship. Frank and Robin Cornish, a Black couple, moved to Southlake in the 1990s after Frank fell in love with the place, and he soon recruited fellow Dallas Cowboys to join them. But then the Cornish family suffered a tragedy, and gradually they began to see a different side of their town. In 2018, a viral video of students yelling the N-word brought their concerns to the surface — and exposed racism in Southlake's schools. The whole town seemed to get behind a plan to confront it...at first. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2 min
Aug 20, 2021
Trailer

Beautiful Southlake, Texas, seemed too good to be true—until a video emerged of white high school students chanting the N-word. But it was the school district’s plan to confront racism that really sent residents on the warpath. Hosted by reporter Mike Hixenbaugh and correspondent Antonia Hylton, Southlake is a six-part series about belonging—and backlash—in an American suburb. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.