Kendall Hackerott

Before you decide who James Talarico is based on a campaign ad, a sound bite or a meme, it’s worth knowing a little about the person behind the politics. Have you ever read James Talarico’s story? Researched his background? Did you know that he taught sixth-grade language arts at a high-poverty middle school in San Antonio? That he earned a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard? That he has concentrated heavily on public education, children’s welfare and access to health care? That he has served in the Texas House since 2018? That he’s studying at a Presbyterian seminary? Talarico is a native Texan with eight generations of Texas roots. He was born and raised by a single mother in Round Rock. His grandfather was a Baptist preacher in South Texas, and Talarico still attends the Presbyterian church where he was baptized as a child. His faith has been a significant part of his life since childhood. After graduating from UT, he went to Harvard where he earned a master’sdegree in education. He then went into public education, teaching sixth-grade language arts at Rhodes Middle School on San Antonio’s West Side, in one of the poorest ZIP codes in Texas. He didn't just teach from a textbook and go home. Former colleagues and school administrators have described him as a teacher who connected with students, encouraged struggling readers and earned the respect of kids who were often difficult to reach. One former colleague recalled that some students who had never finished an entire book ended up loving reading in Talarico's classroom. His former principal said students generally respected him enough that even kids with serious behavior problems stayed in line in his classroom. That experience changed the direction of his life. He came away believing that many of the problems he saw in his classroom couldn't be fixed one student at a time. So he went into public policy and eventually into the Texas Legislature. He was elected to the Texas House in 2018 at just 29 years old and has now served for 8 years in the Legislature. He has worked on education, child care, prescription drug costs, juvenile justice and other issues. Texas Monthly named him one of its Ten Best Legislators in 2021, citing his intelligence, collegiality and political savvy. Among his legislative accomplishments are a $25 insulin copay cap, legislation allowing incarcerated minors to earn high-school diplomas, a statewide pre-K class-size cap and other education and healthcare measures. And then there's something else about Talarico that gets surprisingly little attention: He is studying to become a Presbyterian minister. He enrolled at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary because, in his words, he wanted to explore the first of Jesus' two commandments - loving God - while he was already trying to live out the second, loving his neighbor. He has studied the New Testament and Hebrew biblical interpretation, and he has said that he hopes to become a minister one day. He's also been very clear that his Christian faith is what motivates his public service. He talks about lowering the cost of child care and prescription drugs, funding public schools and reforming the justice system as ways of loving his neighbors. At the same time, he believes strongly in separation of church and state and says he doesn't want politicians teaching people what their faith should be. We should look at the whole person and the actual record, rather than letting political memes define him. This isn't some guy who suddenly appeared in Texas politics yesterday. He's a Texan from a family with eight generations of Texas roots. A Harvard graduate. A former public-school teacher. A legislator who has actually passed legislation. A lifelong Christian. A grandson of a preacher. And a seminary student preparing for ministry. That's the James Talarico I see. VIA~~ Chauntel Moore