Sponsored by Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Good morning, ☕

You might have seen the story about the University of North Texas abruptly closing an art exhibit because of its ICE-related works. The exhibit “Ni de Aquí Ni de Allá,” by nationally-renowned artist and East Dallas native Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez, opened Feb. 3, and days later it was closed off with no explanation to the artist or students.

On Tuesday, Quiñonez held an artist talk at Dallas’ Latino Cultural Center to explain the works we didn’t get to see, as well as the 20-foot piece “Elevar La Cultura” that’s displayed in the center’s courtyard. Quiñonez said he still hadn’t had a conversation with UNT, but welcomed its students—who made up a lot of the audience—to explore the stories of immigrant communities and cultural experiences through art.

Built with coolers that symbolize the only vehicle many immigrants rely on when they arrive in the US—a way to sell food and support their families—“Ni de Aquí Ni de Allá” draws on a phrase used by Latino immigrants to describe the feeling of belonging neither fully to their country of origin nor entirely to the US. (Joi Louviere/COURIER DFW)

After the UNT exhibit closing made headlines last week, some of the school’s faculty denounced the university’s actions, calling them a “contradiction” to the institution’s commitment to academic freedom. Students have written an open letter to the school’s president and even held a funeral for freedom of speech.

To learn more about the artist and the message behind his work, check out his site.

Joi Louviere

Senior Newsletter Editor, COURIER DFW

It’s official: These 5 DFW suburbs are some of the safest in Texas

Five Dallas suburbs were named as the safest cities to live in Texas. (Trey Ratcliff/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

By Sam Cohen

Living in the Dallas suburbs comes with a variety of perks. You’re close to restaurants, coffee shops, stores, music venues, museums, and sports stadiums, and you also get to experience a peaceful, slower pace of life away from the city. Thanks to a new report from SafeWise, we can officially add another benefit to that list: safety.

To determine its ranking, SafeWise analyzed violent crime and property data from the FBI for over 300 Texas cities. From there, it looked at the population numbers for each region and made adjustments where needed to compensate for suburban towns and rural areas compared to urban cities.

See the rankings

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public schools aren't a place to force religion

Families—not politicians—should decide if and when kids are ready for religion. That’s why Americans United for Separation of Church and State and our allies are fighting back against attempts to foist one narrow religion on public school students, including the mandatory Ten Commandments displays politicians are forcing on kids. Public schools are not Sunday schools. Learn more.

🀄 Mahjong mania: Has the mahjong craze reached you? After generations as a favorite pastime in Chinese families, the game is now gaining popularity across American culture. Here are the best places to play in DFW. (D Magazine)

🧚 Meet Mrs. Dipsworth: A North Texas woman has created the character Mrs. Dipworth to help children improve their reading skills. Dressed as a fairy godmother and speaking in a British accent, the educator performs at events across the state and has been a regular visitor at several local school districts. Read more here. (CW 33)

❌ Hutchins ICE facility no-go: The owner of the Hutchins warehouse, slated to be the next ICE detention facility, won’t sell to the Department of Homeland Security. The Amazon warehouse would have been the state’s largest detention center yet, with DHS looking to hold 9,500 detainees there.