In August 2025, I stood inside the Texas Capitol amid one of the more unusual political confrontations in recent state history. Democrat State Representative Nicole Collier of Fort Worth had refused to leave the House chamber under the conditions imposed upon her by Republican leadership. Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows acknowledged that Collier’s decision not to sign the form was permitted under House rules. And the right to protest means little if we respect it only when protesters are wearing MAGA hats. That is why I could stand at the Texas Capitol as a black conservative and support Nicole Collier’s right to protest.