Raj Mankad, deputy opinion editor at the Houston Chronicle, has been named one of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners for Editorial Writing, earning national recognition for his commitment to investigative journalism and social justice.
Mankad was part of a four-member Houston Chronicle editorial team, alongside Lisa Falkenberg, Leah Binkovitz, and Sharon Steinmann.
The team won for a powerful series of editorials about stalled freight trains in Houston, which exposed the life-threatening consequences of blocked railroad crossings in low-income neighborhoods.
The Pulitzer-winning editorial on freight trains was inspired by the tragic death of Sergio Rodriguez, a sophomore at Milby High School, who died trying to cross freight train tracks that had been blocked for hours.
His story became a symbol of environmental injustice in Houston, where freight train deaths disproportionately affect working-class communities of color.
“This city treats its people as disposable,” Mankad wrote. “We can be a big industrial city, but the bargain we make with industry doesn’t include dying.”
These editorials brought urgent attention to how stalled trains delayed emergency services and disrupted daily life, illustrating a systemic issue of community safety in Houston.
The Pulitzer Prize Board praised the series for its “rigorous focus on the people and communities at risk” and its ability to “influence public opinion in the right direction.”
As a result of this advocacy, the Texas Senate passed a $350 million grant program aimed at rail safety and infrastructure improvements, showing how impactful editorial writing awards can drive train safety legislation in Texas.
This is the second Pulitzer in four years for the Houston Chronicle’s opinion team, cementing its reputation for impactful editorial journalism that sparks reform.
Raj Mankad’s Broader Editorial Work
Not stopping at the Pulitzer win, Mankad published another editorial the same day titled “Display the Hindu Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms too.”
In this provocative piece, he critiqued proposed legislation requiring the display of Christian scripture in public schools.
Drawing from his own Hindu upbringing, he argued for religious neutrality in schools and defended constitutional secularism.
“As someone raised as a Hindu,” Mankad wrote, “I’ve watched with interest as a bill requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom is making its way through the Texas Legislature.”
This editorial aligns with Mankad’s broader journalistic mission to confront systemic inequality, challenge legislative overreach, and promote pluralism.
Why Raj Mankad Won the Pulitzer Prize
With a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Houston, Raj Mankad merges intellectual rigor with deeply personal storytelling.
His journalism amplifies unheard voices, bridging the gap between policy and lived experience.
His contributions to Pulitzer Prize editorial writing are more than a professional accolade, they are a testament to the transformative power of public interest journalism.
