Dallas

A lot of history is found in Dallas. Dallas is the city with the third most populous city in Texas. Dallas doesn't
just have importance in the oil industry. It has a long history involved in social movements, various
industries, and other aspects of our lives. Dallas is a large, diverse city. For a long time, I wanted to write
about the history and culture of Dallas and now I have the opportunity to do so. From the Dallas downtown
skyline to the State Fair of Texas at Fair Park, Dallas has a lot of in structure that people the world over
enjoy year round. Railroads surround the city and it is found in Dallas County. Sections of the city are also
located in Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties. It has over 1,300,000 people today. Its
metropolitan area is called the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area. To the left of Dallas
immediately is Arlington and to the left of Arlington is Fort Worth. Dallas has 385 square miles of land.
Dallas metropolitan area is the fifth largest economy in America with a 2014 GDP of over $504 billion. Its
metropolitan area has almost 3.5 million jobs. Banking, commerce, telecommunications, technology,
energy, health care, medical research, transportation, and logistics are occupations that dominate the
economy of Dallas. Dallas is home to the third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in America
(behind New York City and Houston).
Dallas has the largest metropolitan area of the South. Dallas has massive interstate highways and it is a
strong industrial and financial center. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is one of the largest and
busiest airports in the world. What is also important is to acknowledge the great people and culture of
Dallas. We see great cuisine found in the city of Dallas. Opera, museums, and entertainment centers are
readily found in the Dallas area too. A well-known art district is found in Downtown including famous
musical places. A lot of people low sports and Dallas has many sports teams from the Cowboys to the
Mavericks. One of the great parks of American society is our diversity and Dallas has plenty of it. People of
a myriad of backgrounds and nationalities live and work in the great city of Dallas. Therefore, we will always
believe in economic and social justice. We will fight for our human rights. So, Dallas is a city with a rich
history and its people are filled with love, hope, compassion, and strength.

The Beginning
In the beginning, Dallas was inhabited by Native Americans. The Caddo Native Americans inhabited in the
Dallas area before. Later, the rest of Texas, Dallas, etc. was part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain in
the 16th century. Viceroyalty refers to a Spanish colony in the Americas. The area was also claimed by the
French. The Spanish Empire has conquered many territories in Mexico, the Southwest, and other areas in
the Americas. Yet, in 1819, the Adams-Onis Treaty officially placed Dallas well within Spanish territory by
making the Red River the northern boundary of New Spain. In 1778, one European who visited the Dallas
area probably was Athanase de Mezieres. De Mezieres was a Frenchman who was in the service of the King
of Spain. He probably crossed the West Fork of the Trinity River near present day Fort Worth. He crossed
the western edge of the Eastern Cross Tembers from the Tawakoni Village on the Brazos River near present
day Waco. He then came north to the Red River. He wrote about his experiences too. De Mezieres'
biographer, Bolton, was convinced de Mezieres was describing the Eastern Cross Timbers and the route
would have him crossing the West Fork of the Trinity River between the present Fort Worth and
Arlington. Dallas remained under Spanish rule until 1821. That was the year when Mexico declared
independence from Spain. The area became part of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas.
The Republic of Texas (filled with newcomers and slavery) broke off from Mexico in 1836 and remained an
independent country for nearly 10 years. John Neely Bryan wanted a good trading post to serve Native
Americans and settlers. He first surveyed the Dallas area in 1839. He might have been drawn by the
intersection of Caddo trails at one of the few natural fords or hundreds of miles along the wide Trinity
floodplain. Bryan knew that the planned Preston Trail was to run near the ford. The north-south route and
the ford at Bryans Bluff became more important when the United States annexed Texas in 1845. After
Bryan surveyed the area, he returned home to Arkansas. In Arkansas, a treaty was signed removing all
Native Americans from Northern Texas, which was evil. He returned to Dallas in November of 1841. Half of
his customers were gone. He decided that instead of creating a trading post, he would create a permanent
settlement. He founded it on November 1841. In 1841, J. P. Dumas surveyed and laid out a 0.5 square miles
(1.3 km2) section of blocks and streets near present downtown. The origin of the name is uncertain, as
there were a number of people named Dallas who could have been the inspiration for the name. In 1855, a
group of European artists and musicians (like the French, Belgians, and the Swiss) set up an Utopian
community west of Dallas called La Reunion. When that venture collapsed in 1857, many of the artists

moved to Dallas. In Dallas, they formed the base of a culture which a century and a half later was reflected
in the creative neighborhoods of Deep Ellum (east of Downtown) and lower Greenville Avenue.

The Colonial Period and Early Dallas

By February 2, 1856, Dallas was granted a town charter during the Regular session of the sixth Texas
legislature. Samuel Pryor was elected the first mayor of Dallas along with a constable, a treasurer-recorder,
and six aldermen. In 1860, the town of Dallas reached 678 people including 97 African Americans (mostly
enslaved), as well as Belgian, French, German, and Swiss immigrants. In that year, the railroad was
approaching from the south and several stage lines were already passing through the city. In July 1860, a
fire broke out in the square, destroying most of the buildings in the business district of Dallas.

The Civil War

In July 1860, a fire broke out in the square, destroying most of the buildings in the business district of
Dallas. Out of fear, many white residents assumed that slaves were behind it, and two abolitionists were
ran out of town. They lynched three African-American slaves, and officials ordered all other slaves in Dallas
to be whipped. People already know that racism and injustice were found in Dallas back then and today.
Slavery and lynching are totally evil period. On the eve of the Civil War in 1861, Dallas County voted 741237 in favor of secession. The state of Texas declared its secession from the USA on February 2, 1861. It
joined the Confederacy on March 2, 1861. Sam Houston (who was a slave owner) refused to take an oath of
allegiance to the evil Confederacy. June 8, 1861 of that year was when a state of war was declared. Texans
issued their declaration of causes of secession which admitted that they had racist motivations for
secession. Back then, black people were 30 percent of Texas populations and many of them were enslaved.
Many citizens supported the rebels. Some Texan military units fought in the Civil War east of the Mississippi
River, but Texas supplied soldiers and horses for Confederate forces. Some cotton was sold in Mexico, but
most of the crop became useless because of the Union naval blockade of Galveston, Houston, and other
ports. More than 70,000 Texans were in the Confederate army. Some of them were veterans of the
Mexican American War and few were involved in the Texas Revolution. Some Texans opposed the
secession of Texas from the Union. At least 2,000 Texans joined the Union army.
Dallas was a long way from any battles and it suffered no major damage from the war. Union forces from
Brazos Island launched the Brazos Santiago Expedition, leading to the last battle of the Civil War, the Battle
of Palmito Ranch, fought in Texas on May 12, 1865, well after Robert E. Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865,
at Old Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Federal troops did not arrive in Texas to restore order until June
19, 1865, when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and 2,000 Union soldiers arrived on Galveston Island to
take possession of the state and enforce the new freedoms of former slaves. The Texas
holiday Juneteenth commemorates this date. The Stars and Stripes were not raised over Austin until June
25. The Reconstruction period brought many new events for Dallas and many benefits for the state.

Reconstruction and The Industrial Period

On June 19, 1865, or Juneteenth, Texan slaves were emancipated, as announcement of the end of the war
was delayed. Many African Americans migrated to Dallas after the war for work, because the city was
thriving as compared to other Southern cities. They also wanted to leave rural areas to escape the
supervision of whites and establish their own communities. Freedmen's towns were scattered throughout
Dallas. Racist white supremacists retaliated against Reconstruction by creating a KKK chapter in Dallas in
1868 made up of white insurgent Confederate veterans. In 1869, the Reconstruction legislature established
a funding mechanism to support public education for the first time, and authorized school districts to be set
up across the state. Notable Civil War soldiers living in Dallas include William W. Ross. The Dallas Morning
News states that, William W. and Andrew J. Ross were early land owners who came to Dallas in 1866. One
was a Civil War veteran, but, both men were farmers and real estate developers. Ross Avenue is named in
honor of the two brothers and bisects the land they formerly owned. In 2009, a Nevada-based clergy group
proposed that Ross Avenue be renamed after the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi.
The major north-south (Houston and Texas Central Railroad) and east-west (Texas and Pacific Railway)
Texas railroad routes intersected in Dallas in 1873, thus ensuring its future as a commercial center. The
arrival of the trains also meant soaring populations the population of Dallas increased rapidly from 3,000
in early 1872 to more than 7,000 in September of the same year. New buildings and new businesses
appeared daily. Dallas was the epicenter of the markets for raw materials and commodity crops, such as
grains and cotton, which were shipped to the South and East. It was also the "last chance" stop for supplies
for people traveling west.

From the Later 19th century to the Early 20th Century (the Oil Period)
The Industrial Period from 1874 to 1929 saw Dallas grow from a center of farming and ranching into a
major self-sustaining industrial city. The industrial growth in Dallas was formed in part out of problems
hurting Dallas area farmers. After buying supplies on credit during the year, farmers owed merchants the
majority of their crop. Costs to ship to the coast were very high, and the price of cotton was dropping. By
1880, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad under the leadership of Jay Gould reached Dallas. In 1885, the
Main Street was lit with electricity. In 1888, the Dallas Zoo opened making it the first zoological garden in
the state. The Dallas Zoo today has 106 acres. It is located 3 miles south of downtown Dallas. It is managed
by the nonprofit Dallas Zoological Society. Now, it has over 2,000 animals representing 406 species. Since
2009, when the Dallas City Council voted unanimously to turn the zoo over to private management under
the DZS, attendance and community support for the zoo has surged. In 2015, the zoo achieved an all-time
annual attendance record of 1,000,000+ visitors. The Dallas Zoological Society is supported by over 25,510
membership households and growing. The DZS manages all fundraising, membership, special events, food
services, retail operation, volunteer programs, marketing, and public relations for the zoo under
management contract with the City of Dallas. By June 14, 1996, rail and bus service arrived at the zoo. The
Dallas Zoo station was established and opened on the first phase of the Red Line. The connection to DART
made getting into the zoo significantly more convenient than ever before.
In 1890, Dallas annexed the city of East Dallas, which was larger geographically than Dallas. The annexation
made Dallas the most populous city in Texas during that time period. After the national financial panic in
1893, numerous industries and five Dallas banks failed. Cotton prices dipped below five cents a pound and
the lumber and flour markets had all but vanished, so many people began leaving the city. By 1898, the city
began to recover and grow again.
In 1894, Parkland Memorial Hospital opened just west of Oak Lawn. In 1903, Oak Cliff, a city across the
Trinity River, was annexed. By the turn of the 20th century, Dallas was the leading drug, book, jewelry, and
wholesale liquor market in the Southwestern United States. It also quickly became the center of trade in

cotton, grain, and even buffalo. It was the world's leading inland cotton market, and it still led the world in
manufacture of saddlery and cotton gin machinery. During the early 20th century, Dallas transformed from
an agricultural center to a center of banking, insurance, fashion retailing and other businesses. Founded
here were Marcus and the now-defunct A. Harris and Brothers ready-to-wear stores. The 14-story
Praetorian Building was the first skyscraper west of the Mississippi River and the tallest building in Texas
during that time.
Texan black people, Mexican Americans and poor whites were excluded from much of the progress by
being disfranchised when the state legislature imposed a poll tax in 1902. In addition, it had earlier
established Jim Crow laws, making racial segregation legal and continuing to impose the system of
racism/white supremacy. The Trinity River flooded in 1908. It was 52.6 feet high. 5 people died and 4,000
people were left homeless. Property damages were estimated at $2.5 million. After the flood, the city
wanted to take action to control the Trinity and build a bridge linking Oak Cliff and Dallas. By 1911, George
Kessler or a city planner created a plan for both the Trinity and the city. His plans were initially ignored but
ultimately brought back, updated, in the 1920's. By the 1930's, many of his plans had been realized. The
expansion of industrial jobs attracted migrants from across the region, as well as weaves of immigrants,
first from southern and eastern Europe. Many neighborhoods of Dallas have demonstrated the process of
ethnic succession, whereby immigrants or migrants move into lower cost housing until they can get
established. One group moves out to newer housing and another new group fills the area. For instance,
Polish Jewish immigrants settled together beginning in the late 19th century. As they got established, they
gradually moved to newer housing.

The area bordered by Maple Avenue, McKinney Avenue and the MKT (Missouri, Kansas, Texas) Railroad
became known as Little Mexico following 1910, when it was settled by a wave of Mexican immigrants, who
left the disruption following the defeat of President Porfirio Diaz and his government, and the start of the
Mexican Revolution (19101920). Mexicans from all walks of life came to the Dallas area to take jobs in
factories, agriculture and the railroads. In 1911, Dallas was chosen as the location of the eleventh regional
branch of the Reserve Bank. That year millionaire Dr. William Worthington Samuel, purchased the first
ambulance for the city of Dallas, and later donated thousands of dollars to expand Parkland Hospital. The
growth of aviation generated new development in the city in World War I. Love Field was established as an
aviation training ground. Fair Park was the home of Camp Dick, a training facility as well. The city purchased
Love Field in 1927 to use as a municipal airport. In 1915, Southern Methodist University opened. The Great
Depression affected many Americans. Business in construction flourished in Dallas in 1930. In that year,
Columbus Marion Joiner struck oil 100 miles east of Dallas in Kilgore. This caused the East Texas oil boom.
Dallas quickly became the financial center for the oil industry in Texas and Oklahoma. Banks made loans to
develop the oil fields and Dallas became the financial center for all oil fields in the Texas Panhandle, the
Permian Basin, East Texas, Gulf Coast, and Oklahoma. By 1931, there were falling prices and
overproduction, which affected the city economys negatively. By then, more than 18,000 people in the city
were unemployed. Before the New Deal policy started, the city had a work for food program that helped
many human beings. After a long campaign in the years leading up to 1936, the state of Texas chose Dallas
as the state of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition. More than 50 buildings were built for the Exposition
in Fair Park and 10 million visitors came to see the US$25 million spectacle (or $426 million in todays
terms).

World War II & the Cold War

World War II was the bloodiest war in human history. During World War II, Dallas was a manufacturing
center for the war effort. By 1940, the population of the city of Dallas had reached 294,734. In 1942, the
Ford Motor plant in Dallas converted to war-time production, producing only jeeps and military trucks. In
1943, the city began rationing with 376,085 ration books distributed. University of Texas Southwestern
Medical School was established in the same year too. New industries were created. Many rural residents
came into Dallas and other urban centers during World War II. More than 1.2 million troops were trained
for service at bases and camps in Texas. Many of these soldiers were from outside the state of Texas. 7% of
the American forces who served in the military during WWII were from Texas. Many women, black people,
and other minority workers were in factories and took high skilled, high wage jobs that were once closed to
them before the war. Admiral Chester Nimitz was a Texan. He was the commander of the Pacific Fleet and
he came from Fredericksburg, TX. Dwight W. Eisenhower was born in Dennison and he was the supreme
Allied Commander in Europe. Former Texas first lady Oveta Culp Hobby was the commander of the
Womens Army Corps. Lieutenant Audie Murphy was from Farmersville. African Americans and Tejanos
joined the military in large numbers, but most black Texans served in segregated units, led by white
officers. Latinos suffered discrimination too. Many African Americans and Latinos returned back from the
war with a further sense of determination to fight for human rights. Texas population increased by 33
percent from the beginning of the depression to 1945. Manufacturing increased and Texas became more
urbanized and with a diversified economy.
In 1958, Jack Kilby worked for Texas Instruments. He created the worlds first integrated circuit at a Dallas
laboratory in September. This parked a electronics revolution that change the world and created a global
market which is now worth more than $1 trillion a year.

On June 10, 1963, President John

F. Kennedy gave his historic
speech in American University. In
that speech, JFK advocated for
world peace and a goal of
peaceful co-existence with the
Soviet Union. It was an eloquent
speech.

This is Ike Altgens' photo of the

Presidential limousine taken
between the first and second shots
that hit President Kennedy.
Kennedy's left hand is in front of his
throat and Mrs. Kennedy's left hand
is holding his arm.

One of the most tragic events in Dallas, Texas during the Cold War was the assassination of President John
F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. He was assassinated on 12:30 pm. Central Standard
Time on Friday. Kennedy came into Dallas in order to gather support for the upcoming 1964 Presidential
election. He wanted to strengthen his political power in the South as his Vice President LBJ was a Texan.
Reactionaries slandered JFK as a Communist. JFK supported the nuclear test ban treaty and he advocated
for the civil rights bill. He was in a motorcade traveling west on Elm Street in Dealey Plaza. Other people
were in the motorcade with him. These individuals were his wife Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally,
and Connallys wife, Nellie. Other Presidents were assassinated as well like Abraham Lincoln, Garfield, and
McKinely. He was later shot and killed. There is a memorial called the Kennedy Memorial and there is the
Sixth Floor Museum in the former Texas School Book Depository at the corner of Elm and Houston. The
assassination was recorded by the Zapruder film. President John F. Kennedy did many progressive actions
like promoting his New Frontier, promoting civil rights legislation, signing the Partial Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty, promoting the Clean Air Act, advancing the Peace Corps, respecting Social Security, and advocating
for universal medical insurance for the elderly (that would be Medicare as Medicare as signed by LBJ after
JFK passed away). John F. Kennedy withdrew air support for the April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasions. He
refused to send U.S. ground forces to invade Cuba too. He supported the left wing Sukarno government of
Indonesia. JFK embraced the socialist leader Pietro Nenni (who was part of the Partito Socialistia Italiano).
Even Dean Rusk criticized Kennedy on that issue. JFK also supported the independence and nationalist
movements of the African people. Patrice Lumumba was a hero too. Polls have shown that a majority of
Americans believe that JFK was assassinated in a conspiracy. We certainly are inspired to carry forth the
torch in this new generation to advance excellence, courage, strength, and human compassion.

Dallas's Civil Rights Movement

The civil rights history in Dallas has not been shown much in many quarters. Today, it is time for many more
people to know about the heroic history of the civil rights movement in Dallas, Texas. Black people lived in
Texas for centuries. The 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas forbid free person of African descent to
live in the Republic of Texas. So, massive racism in Texas is not new. By 1792, people of black African
descent massively lived in Spanish Texas. Black people who were free worked in many areas. When Mexico
ruled Texas, black people could own land, build businesses, etc. When Mexico lost Texas, black people and
other people of color lost their rights. There were about 5,000 enslaved people in Texas by the early 1830s.
The Mexican government legally abolished slavery in 1829. Texas promoted slavery when it became a
Republic in 1836. Samuel McCulloch Jr. fought for his freedom in the Republic of Texas.
Brother William Sidney Pittman was a great architect who lived in Washington, D.C. and Dallas, Texas. He
worked hard in outlining his gifts. He was an advocate for civil rights too. His wife was the daughter of
Booker T. Washington. William Sidney Pittman graduated from the Drexel Institute (in Philadelphia) in
1900. His degree was in architectural drawing. He was the head of the department of architectural drawing
in the Tuskegee Institute. He was the first African American architect to open up his office in D.C. Later, he
worked in Dallas, Texas where he continued to design many notable buildings including the Pythian Temple.
Also, William Sidney Pittman was a carpenter and he published the weekly paper The Brotherhood Eyes. He
passed away in Dallas on March 14, 1958. Lynching against black people was common in Dallas. South of
the city, past the Trinity River bottoms, a black man named W.R. Taylor was hanged by a mob in 1889.
About 90 miles south is the community of Streetman, where 25-year-old George Gay was hung from a tree
and shot hundreds of times in 1922.
Black people in Dallas continued to fight for freedom. The first public library in Dallas to welcome and serve
the African American community was the Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch of the Dallas Public Library. It was
opened in June of 1931. It is found in the northwest corner of Thomas and Worthington in what was then
the predominantly black neighborhood of North Dallas (or Uptown today). There was a thriving business
and residential neighborhood which was home to everyone from the citys black professionals who lived in
large style houses. Many middle and lower income black families lived there too.

In areas of Fort Worth and Denton, black people also continued to develop their power and fought
injustice. A Dallas newspaper and commercial photographer Marion Butts Sr. (who lived from 1982 to
2002) recorded many parts of African American community in Dallas for almost 60 years. There is the
collection that documents segregation and civil rights events back then. Also, he recorded such images
since the mid 1940s. There are also pictures of community business meetings, Dallas civic meetings,
religious events, educational situations, and other aspects of social life. The Butts Collection consists of
approximately 58,377 photographic negatives, both black & white and color images, dating from the mid1940s through the 1990s. Among these are a group of several hundred pivotal images depicting
segregation, civil rights, NAACP activities, early African-American elected officials, and demonstrations in
Dallas. Among the images are pictures of the first black students admitted to Southern Methodist
University, Thurgood Marshall and NAACP efforts in Dallas, the first black physicians given privileges at a
white hospital, and the first black police officers to join the Dallas police force during the twentieth century.
Lee Marion Butts Sr. is a great person of Dallas, Texas. He was an African American commercial
photographer and an editor of the Dallas Express. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in
Dallas in 1943. He studied art and business of photography while he was an apprentice at the Adolphus
Hotel Photo Concession Shop from 1942 to 1945. He graduated from Bishop College in Marshall, Texas in
1940. There is a July 3, 1954 photograph of Dr. Ralph J. Bunche (of the United Nations) being greeted by
Walter White (or executive secretary of the NAACP) and Rev. Ernest C. Estell (general chairman) at Love
Field Airport. The NAACP Convention took place in Dallas, Texas in 1954 too. Roy Wilkins spoke at that
convention as he was a leader of the NAACP back then.

The image to the right shows Dallas area middle school students standing up for their human
rights. The struggle continues.

During the 1950s, black people were forced to live in areas of the city like South Dallas and parts of Oak
Cliff. Segregation existed. Local Dallas chapters existed back then like the NAACP, CORE, and the SCLC. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. came to Dallas, TX in January 4, 1963. During this time, African American activists
opposed the poll tax in Dallas via demonstrations. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to speak. Others
who participated included local labor union representatives, the heads of local black churches, and
representatives of the Democratic Party, among others. Dr. King spoke at the large Music Hall at Fair Park.
The location was crowded (with about 2,500 people among black and white people). Dr. King spoke these

words:

We must get rid of the notion, once and for all, that there is a superior and an inferior race.
The audience there immediately cheers. He also commented that We must develop a
powerful action program to break down the barriers of segregation, and we must be honest
with ourselves and our white brothers: Segregation is wrong. It is a new formula of slavery
covered up with nice complexities.
He added: "If the American dream is to be a reality, the idea of white supremacy must come to
an end now and ever more." There was the 28-day protest of Dallas downtown Piccadilly
Cafeteria. Clarence Broadnax, the first African-American hairdresser employed at Neiman Marcus, was
denied service at the cafeteria on the basis of his race.

The long, peaceful protest ended only when the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B.
Johnson. During that 28-day window, Broadnax and his supporters unwaveringly, yet calmly, demanded
equal rights, as the Piccadilly Cafeteria owners fervently denied them. There was the large demonstration
in Dallas called the March of 3,000. This was a march for voting rights. The march, comprised of Dallas
residents of all races, peacefully filled the downtown area and was organized by the NAACP. Back during
the 1960s, Dallas was a heavily segregated city. Many places of business still practiced discrimination in
serving customers. "White Only" and "Colored Only" signs could still be seen everywhere, particularly over
water fountains and on restroom doors and newspapers printed classified ads offering rental housing for
"Colored Only." Many of the people involved in getting rid of the poll tax in Dallas included Walter R.
McMillan, Roosevelt Johnson, A. Maceo Smith, Pancho Medrano, Harold E. Holly, Rev. G. T. Thomas, and R.
R. Revis (who took a picture together in October 12, 1963). The 24th Amendment to the Constitution,
ratified in 1964, finally did away with the poll tax. Nathaniel and Cora Watts were great leaders of the
Dallas community too who advanced medicine and civil rights activism. On March 14, 1965, young
protesters assembled on the steps of Ferris Plaza. They are in the NAACP Alabama Sympathy and March
and Rally to express solidarity with the Selma voting rights movement.

The Dallas civil rights movement is unsung in many quarters. There was the civil rights photographer Bob
Adelman who recently passed away at 85 years old. The journalist and civil rights attorney Alia Malek
received an award in Dallas too. The Dallas Civil Rights museum presented a program on Emmett Till.
Emmett Till was a young child who was viciously murdered by racists in the Deep South. Recently, the
pastor James Sumner Manning passed away at the age of 88. He was a Methodist minister in Oklahoma,
North Texas, and Massachusetts. He was a lifelong advocate of civil rights. His wife is Betty Kemp Manning
and she said that, He was always speaking of making a better
world for everybody. He helped undocumented immigrants as
well. Another great civil rights hero was the late Sister Kathlyn
Joy Gilliam. She promoted childhood education in South Dallas
too during the 1960s and the 1970s. She was in the Dallas
school board for 23 years and she was the first black woman in
the board in 1974. She was also the first black board President
in 1980. She passed away in 2011. The civil rights movement
back then in Dallas, Texas included clergymen, clergywomen,
political leaders, social activists, and people among a wide
spectrum of ages and backgrounds. Jody Furnish was a Dallas
social worker in 1963 and she was active in the Dallas civil
rights movement. People like Marilyn Clark, Mary Greene,
Princella Hartman, Edward Harris, and so many other human
This picture shows Sister Juanita Craft.
beings fought for justice.
She was a great black woman who cared
for our people so much. She worked day
A great black woman and civil rights hero in Dallas, TX was
in and day out to advance justice for all.
Juanita Craft. She was born in February 9, 1902 in Round Rock,
Texas. She came to Dallas from the Austin area in 1925. She
Also, Juanita Craft abhorred injustice and
was employed as a maid at the Adolphus Hotel and later as a
wanted a society where people can have
seamstress. She joined the NAACP in 1935. By 1942, she
liberty, freedom, equality, and justice. We
became the Dallas NAACP membership chairman and in 1946,
all honor her sacrosanct sacrifice for
Juanita Craft was the Texas NAACP field organizer. She helped
humanity and we are inspired by her
to organize 182 branches of the NAACP over eleven years. She
glorious actions.
fought for justice. In 1944, after becoming the first black
woman in Dallas County to vote in a public election, she
attempted to help enroll the first black student at North Texas State College (Now the University of North
Texas), a battle eventually won through litigation. In 1955, she organized a protest of the State against its
policy of admitting blacks only on "Negro Achievement Day." She organized protests and pickets of
segregated lunch counters, restaurants, theaters, and public transportation. She fought to integrate the
University of Texas Law School and the Dallas Independent School District after the 1954 decision in Brown.
V. Board of Education (which banned the segregation of public schools in America). She served two terms
on the Dallas City Council from 1975 and 1979. Juanita Craft became a towering historic figure in the Civil
Rights Movement in Texas, and was given many awards for her efforts, including the NAACP Golden
Heritage Life Membership Award in 1978, the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award in 1984, and she was
recognized by the NAACP for her fifty years of service shortly before her death. Juanita Craft passed away
in August 6, 1985 at the age of 83.

RIP Sister Juanita Craft.

The Real Estate Boom

By the late 1970s to the early to mid-1980s, Dallas underwent the building boom. That caused a distinctive
contemporary profile for the downtown area. By the year 1978, the soap opera Dallas was debuted with
a CBS miniseries that was filmed entirely in Dallas. The actual series was later almost all filmed in a Los
Angeles studio. The internationally popular show ran for 13 years. Also, its prominent skyline was
influenced by nationally acclaimed architects. By the 1980s, the oil industry mostly relocated to Houston.
In that time, Dallas was beginning to benefits from a burgeoning technology boom. That was driven by the
growing computer and telecom industries. Dallas continued to be a center of banking and business. In
1983, voters in Dallas and area cities approved the creation of Dallas Area Rapid Transit to replace the
Dallas Transit System. Dallas annexed Audelia in 1981 and Renner in 1983. By 1984, the Dallas Museum of
Art moved from Fair Park as one of the first buildings in downtowns Arts District. In 1984, the Republican
National Convention was held in Dallas too. The peak of the real estate boom was in 1985 when the 72
story Bank of America Plaza (then InterFirst Plaza) opened as the tallest building in Dallas. In 1987, Annette
Strauss was inaugurated as the first female mayor of Dallas. From the mid-to-late 1980s, many banks,
especially in Dallas, collapsed during the Savings and Loan crisis, nearly destroying the city's economy and
scrapping plans for hundreds of structures.

Recession
From the mid-1980s to 1995, there was the recession era in Dallas. This was the time of the post real
estate boom. During that time period, not a single high-rise structure was built within the downtown
freeway loop. Over-speculating, over-building, the Savings and Loan crisis, and the recession practically
destroyed the city economically. In 1989, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center opened in the Arts
District of downtown. Dallas celebrated a major landmark during this period, celebrating its 150th
anniversary in 1991.

The Current Era and the 21st Century

From the late 1990s, there was the booming telecom industry which exploded in Dallas, especially in areas
like Las Colinas and the Telecom Corridor. During this time, Dallas became known as Texas's Silicon Valley,
or the "Silicon Prairie. Another recession prompted by the dot-com bubble-burst and the 2001 terrorist
attacks hurt several of the city's vital industries. Some of them were transportation and
telecommunications. By 2004, signs of an economic turnaround began to appear. In 2005, three towers
began construction amid tens of residential conversions and smaller residential projects. By the year 2010,
the North Central Texas Council of Governments expects 10,000 residents to live within the loop. Just
north, Uptown is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. Dallas served as a major refuge city
for 2005s Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Reunion Arena and the Dallas Convention Center were used as
evacuee facilities for thousands in the months after the storms. In total, about 46,000 evacuees filled Texas
public schools after Katrina in the fall of 2005. That was the largest increases in the Dallas area which took
place in the Dallas Independent School District with 1,900 new students, Arlington ISD with
1,069, Richardson ISD with 964, and Fort Worth ISD with 846. At the beginning of 2006, nine high-rise
residential buildings or hotels were under construction in that area. Leading the way is the $500M phase
two of Victory Park, a $3B+ project. At full build-out, it should contain more than 4,000 residences and 4M
ft of office and retail space. The Arts District in downtown is also expected to become a major point of
growth. As the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation implements construction on several new
projects in its master plan for the area. When the new Winspear Opera House (Foster and Partners) and
Wyly Theatre (Office for Metropolitan Architecture - Rem Koolhaas) join the existing Nasher Sculpture

Center(Renzo Piano) and Meyerson Symphony Center (I.M. Pei and Partners), Dallas will be the only city in
the world that has four buildings within one contiguous block that are all designed by Pritzker Architecture
Prize winners. In 2006, an estimated half a million people attended the largest mass gathering in Dallas
history and perhaps state history. On September 7, 2014, Dallas was home of the first case of the Ebola
Virus in the United States of America. On May 31, 2016, several cities experienced record setting flooding.
Dallas suffered massive flooding during that time too. In July of 2016, the Dallas shooting existed. The
gunman was Micah Johnson who killed 5 cops, wounded some cops, and wounded one woman. This comes
in the midst of police terrorism across America (against black people and others) and economic inequality.

Spirituality in Dallas, Texas

Megachurches are very common in

the Dallas area like this church called
the First Baptist of Dallas.

The Mormon community is large

in Dallas. This religious building is
the Dallas Texas Temple of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saint.

*Dallas is home to a lot of religious human

beings. A 2014 study by the Pew Research
Center said that Christianity is the most
prevalently practiced religion in Dallas in 78%.
There is a large Protestant Christian
Community in Dallas. There are many
Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches
in the city. Private religious universities are
ever found in Dallas too like Southern
Methodist
University,
Dallas
Baptist
University, the Dallas Theological Seminary,
the University of Dallas, etc. It has about
45,000 Jewish people, which is the largest in
any city of Texas. Those who follow Judaism,
Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. are found n
Dallas too. Religion or spirituality should be
used not only to give people lessons on
integrity & morality, but it should inspire
people to fight for progressive social change in
the world.

This image shows the

Southern Methodist
University. It was established
in 1911. The major campus is
divided into 7 schools. Its
motto is Veritas Liberabit Vos,
which is Latin for The truth
Shall Set You Free.

This is an image of Downtown Dallas.

These are the many locations found in Dallas that people go into every day. Dallas is not just a
Southern city. It is a city with cosmopolitan, progressive places where human beings can have
a great time.

The Culture in Dallas

The Culture of Dallas is very diverse and beautiful. For centuries, Dallas has not only influenced Texas, but
places across America and throughout the world. Dallas is a city with cultural influences from the American
West and from the South. Dallas culture is also diversified too. Dallas is at the northern part of Texas and it
has influenced people in America and throughout the world. Great cuisine is fully known in Dallas, Texas.
Dallas is known for its great barbecue. There is Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine in Texas too. The Ritz-Carlton
Dallas hotel was also named 2009 best US hotel by Zagat, and 2009 No. 2 hotel in the world by Zagat,
trailing only the Four Seasons King George V in Paris, France. A number of nationally ranked steakhouses
can be found in the Dallas area, including Bob's Steak & Chop House, currently ranked No. 1 according to
the USDA Prime Steakhouses chart. Frozen margarita has been cooked throughout the city. According to

Zagat Survey in 2009, Fearings restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas hotel in Uptown Dallas has been named
the best hotel restaurant in America.
African Americans have a long history in Dallas. Southern areas of Dallas, especially Pleasant Grove is
predominantly African American. There has always been a strong African American culture in Dallas, Texas.
It is important to cite the fact that Dallas has a long history of African American doctors including surgeons
who made history and broke down barriers. St. Pauls hospital was integrated in 1954 and it caused no
furor. Antonio Maceo Smith was a black entrepreneur too in Dallas. William H. Wilson wrote a book
entitled, Hamilton Park: A Planned Black Community in Dallas. The book described information about
how many middle class black people lived in that community. The book also wanted to show how the
community desired better bus service and they wanted better shopping needs as people traveled long
distances to just to shop. Back in the late 1950s, Hamilton Park formed many community organizations.
One was the IOC or the Interorganizational Council. This group was heavily influenced by the Black Church
as the black church then and now has a powerful influence in the black American experience in general.
There was the secular Civil League. Both organizations worked in the community from the late 1950s to the
1980s. The Hamilton Park residents allied heavily with the Democratic Party as the IOC gave endorsement
lists to residents. They wanted to ally with candidates who respect the concerns of human beings from the
Hamilton Park area.
One of the greatest landmarks of African American Culture is Freedmans Cemetery. It is a place of a
graveyard for African Americans being created in 1869. At first, it was part of one acre of land purchased by
trustee Sam Eakins. There was another 3 acres of land used for cemetery purposes in 1879 by many
trustees including the Rev. A. R. Griggs (who was a former slave and later became a prominent local church

leader and an advocate for early public education for the African American community). Today, Freedmans
Cemetery is a protected state Archaeological landmark. It is found on N. Central Expressway and Lemmon
Avenue. Descendants of persons buried there and the City of Dallas agreed in 1965 to establish the
Freedman's Memorial Park and Cemetery at its current site. There are statues, poems, and a plaque to
show the purpose of the historic Freedman Memorial Park. We recognize the sacrifice of our ancestors and
we honor the heroism also of our black ancestors too.

The African American Musuem of Art in Dallas, Texas has stood the test of time
and its a beautiful place.
The African American Museum in Dallas is an American Art museum. Its located in 3536 Grand Avenue in
Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. The museum was founded in 1974. It has operated independently since 1979. It is
a 7 million dollar structure. Today, it is funded by private donations too. It is a 38,000 square ft. structure. It
is shaped like a cross. The location uses natural materials and design motifs all over the museum represent
things reminiscent of pre-industrialized cultures of the African continent. The museum has activities to
educate, inspire, and entertain children and adults. It shows galleries of African American art, African art,
magazines, historical information, political information, and community archives. Visitors can also
experience African American culture through many educational and entertaining programs that are
frequently presented in an "educational plaza", which includes a theatre and classrooms. The current
museum building occupies virtually the same site as the Texas Centennial Expositions Hall of Negro Life. It
boasts a permanent collection that consists of the works of such highly regarded African American artists
as Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Larry D. Alexander, John T. Biggers, Clementine Hunter, Benny
Andrews, Edward Mitchell Bannister, and Arthello Beck.

Dallas is a very ethnically and culturally diverse city. This is a trilingual sign on a shop that
shows words in English, Spanish, and Amharic (which is a language found in Ethiopia).
The eastern parts of the city are mostly white and the northwestern portion of the city is home to a fairly
equal mix of black people and Latinos. Many Hispanic people have a large culture in Dallas. Southwestern
areas of the city like Oak Cliff are predominantly or completely Hispanic. There are many barbecues,
authentic Mexican, and Tex-Mex cuisine in Dallas. The Dallas area in general is home to a large amount of
restaurants featuring cuisine from all over the world. There are also found localized populations of Chinese,
Taiwanese, Korean, Thai, Indian, German, Middle Eastern, Polish, Russian, and Jewish people. There is the
Greek Food Festival of Dallas as well. Many Asian communities also reside in the suburbs like in Plano,
Irving, Carrolton, and Richardson. There is a large art scene in Dallas, Texas too. The Arts District in
downtown has many venues like the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center,
The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center.
In 2009, the AT&T Performing Arts Center was completed, which includes the Margot and Bill Winspear
Opera House, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, the Annette Strauss Artists Square, and the Elaine D. and
Charles A. Sammons Park. Construction of the City Performance Hall was scheduled for completion in
September 2012. The Arts District is also home to Dallas Independent School District's Booker T.
Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The Majestic Theatre is a historic theater in the
City Center District that has been restored for use as a performing arts facility. As for religion, there is a
largest Protestant Christian influence in Dallas as Dallas is in the Bible belt filled with Methodists, Baptists,
etc. Also, there is a significant amount of Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Mormon, Muslim, Hindu, and
other religious groups in Dallas too. Since 1886, there is the annual State Fair of Texas held in Dallas. There
are Juneteenth festivities in Dallas. Cinco de Mayo celebrations are well known in Dallas including St.
Patrick Day parades in Irish communities (especially along east Dallas Lower Greenville Avenue).

What is shown represents the long generations of talented people from the Dallas Cowboys from the
past and during the present.

One large part of Dallas culture is of course the Dallas Cowboys. It is a NFL team whose fans exist all over
the world. It was established on January 28, 1960. Today, they play in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
They have a long legacy. The Cowboys have a historic streak of 190 consecutive sold out regular and postseason games (home and away) from 2002. The franchise shares the record for most Super Bowl
appearances (8) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and the Denver Broncos,
corresponding to most NFC championships (8). The Cowboys won five (5) of those Super Bowl appearances,
tying them with their NFC rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, both are second to Pittsburgh's record six Super
Bowl championships. The Cowboys are the only NFL team to record 20 straight winning seasons (196685),
in which they only missed the playoffs twice (1974 and 1984), an NFL record that remains unchallenged. It
is valued at $4 billion making it the most valuable sports team in the world according to Forbes. They won 2
Super bowls during the 1970s. During the 1980s, the Dallas Cowboys definitely increased in its popularity.
Its star quarterback back then was Roger Staubach. Tom Landry was the coach for decades. The new head
coach by 1989 was Jimmy Johnson (who is a sports commentator from FOX NFL Sunday today). Jimmy
Johnson was once the University of Miami head coach. Later, Troy Aikman was the starting quarterback in
Dallas.
During the 1990s, Dallas returned to the elite status in the NFL. Skillful drafts added fullback Daryl
Johnston and center Mark Stepnoski in 1989, running back Emmitt Smith in 1990, defensive tackle Russell
Maryland and offensive tackle Erik Williams in 1991, and safety Darren Woodson in 1992. The young talent
joined holdovers from the Landry era such as wide receiver Michael Irvin, guard Nate Newton,
linebacker Ken Norton Jr., and offensive lineman Mark Tuinei, defensive lineman Jim Jeffcoat, and veteran
pickups such as tight end Jay Novacek and defensive end Charles Haley. With this great talent, they
defeated the San Francisco 49ers in January 17, 1993 to go to their first Super Bowl berth since 1978.

They defeated the Buffalo Bills 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII in 1993. Johnson was the first coach to have a
national championship in college football and a Super Bowl victory in professional football. They won
another Super bowl in the next Super Bowl in 1994. Deion Sanders played for the Cowboys too. In January
28, 1996, the Cowboys won the Super Bowl again. This would be the last championship that they would win
during that decade. Randall Cunningham played for them too. Troy Aikman retired and Tony Romo was a
quarterback for a time. Romo had an injury. Today, the Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott is the leader. He
has played magnificently. There is Dez Bryant, rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot, Tide end Jason Witten,
Cole Beasley, etc. Rookie QB Prescott also tied an NFL rookie record held by Russell Wilson and Dan
Marino by throwing multiple touchdowns in 5 straight games. The current Cowboys team in 2016 is very
strong in the competitive NFL East season.
One of the most well-known displays of Dallas culture is found in the Dallas Museum of Art of the DMA. It is
found in downtown Dallas. It was found along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In
1984, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Arts District. The new building was
designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes. He was the 2007 winner of the American Institute of Architects Gold
Medal. It has a collection of more than 24,000 objects. They date from the third millennium B.C. to the
present day. It has great exhibitions and award winning educational programs. The Mildred R. and
Frederick M. Mayer Library (the museums non-circulating research library) contains over 50,000 volumes
available to curators and the general public. With 159,000 square feet (14,800 m2) of exhibition spaces,[5] it
is one of the largest art museums in the United States. There is African art, American art, Asian Art, ancient
Mediterranean art, and art from around the world. There is also art from the Pre-Columbian age, from the
Pacific Rim, and from Europe. Paintings and sculptures surround the location.

Erykah Abi Badu is a living

legend. Shes an elegant,
gorgeous woman whose talent
is found in singing, writing,
social activism, and DJing too.
She loves our people and she
loves Dallas to the fullest. Her
creativity, her records, and her
consciousness are aweinspiring

This is the Dallas Arboretum and

Botanical Garden. It is a 66acre (267,000 m) botanical garden
located at 8617 Garland Road in East
Dallas, Dallas, Texas,
on
the
southeastern shore of White Rock
Lake. It has many gardens and
activities that deal with life and
protecting the environment.

The Downtown Dallas Flower

Mart is very important. It has
beautiful flowers in a vibrant,
diverse amount of colors and
arrangements. In the
background, you see the
gorgeous skyscrapers.

Dallas, Texas has a diverse, vibrant music cultural influence in the world. During the 1960s, there were
many entertainers like Trini Lopez and Stevie Ray Vaughn. The Deep Ellum area in Dallas is made up heavily
of the arts and entertainment. Its located near downtown in East Dallas. It is a very important
neighborhood in the city. It was developed by the late 19th century. Back then, African Americans and
European immigrants lived in the area. Its entertainment district is very famous with dozens of restaurants,
bars, diverse retail shops, and more high rent residential loft space. During the 1920s, the neighborhood
was heavily a place where jazz and blues musicians performed. It hosted Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert
Johnson, Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, and Bessie Smith in Deep Ellum clubs like The Harlem and The
Palace. From 1920 to 1950, the number of nightclubs, cafes and domino parlors in Deep Ellum jumped from
12 to 20. Toadies and the Old 97s are music groups either based in Dallas or Fort Worth, Texas. The famous
singer Norah Jones went to the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in
Dallas. The famous singer Willie Hutch was raised in Dallas, Texas too. He was a songwriter and was known
for his famous records. MetLoaf (or Michael Lee Aday) is also from Dallas.

One of the most talented and well-known artists from the Dallas area is Erykah Badu. She is an African
American singer, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, activist, and actress. She has worked hard for
decades to show inspiring music that deals with love, romance, consciousness, and a passion for developing
the arts. Her friend is of course Janelle Monae, who is a human being with amazing talent too. Erykah Badu
opened a show for DAngelo in 1994. Her first album was Baduizm which was released on February 11,
1997. I remember when it came out. She performs neo soul, funk, soul, hip hop, R&B, and other genres of
music. She can use keyboards, a guitar, drums, theremin, and the drum machine. Also, in real life, she has
promoted fashion and education as she was at the Africa Care Academy 10th Annual Educational Awards
Banquet in Dallas, Texas. In the Nation19 Magazine, Badu talked about why she set up her own charity
organization, titled Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D. 501c3). The charity was
established in 1997 and it aims to provide "community-driven development for inner-city youth" through
the use of music, dance, theater and visual arts. The organization's first endeavor was to establish a base of
operations. Erykah chose to renovate and reopen the Black Forest Theater in South Dallas. The Black Forest
serves as a community center, bringing people together in order to celebrate the art and culture of south
Dallas. The Black Forests stage has shows and performances. It has hosted both free and fundraising
concerts from many artists from the late Prince to Talib Kweli plus Questlove from the Roots.

By Timothy

Be Blessed Yall
.