Bill Text: TX SR423 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing April 22, 2023, as Blackwell School Day.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-04-17 - Reported enrolled [SR423 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SR423-Enrolled.html
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| WHEREAS, The Blackwell School Alliance secured designation | ||
| of the Blackwell School in Marfa as a National Historic Site in | ||
| October 2022; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Opened in 1909, in an era of de facto | ||
| segregation of Mexican Americans, the school served local | ||
| students until 1965, a year after passage of the Civil Rights | ||
| Act, when Marfa integrated its schools; the faculty was | ||
| largely White, and children could be punished harshly for | ||
| speaking Spanish, even though for some, it was not only their | ||
| native language, but their only language; the school was | ||
| supplied with hand-me-down books and other equipment from | ||
| Marfa Elementary, the school for Whites; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Alumni of Blackwell School learned in 2006 that | ||
| the school district planned to tear down or sell the nearly | ||
| century-old one-room adobe schoolhouse; they began organizing to | ||
| save the structure, forming the Blackwell School Alliance in | ||
| 2007; joined by other community advocates, they cleaned up the | ||
| building and fundraised to make repairs; they went on to seek | ||
| recognition for the school from the Texas Historical Commission, | ||
| which was granted in 2010; nine years later, their efforts led to | ||
| its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The members of the alliance have worked | ||
| tirelessly to document and preserve the school's history, | ||
| partnering with universities, state agencies, private | ||
| foundations, the City of Marfa, and individuals; in addition, | ||
| they have garnered support from elected officials, and in 2021, a | ||
| bipartisan group of representatives filed the Blackwell School | ||
| National Historic Site Act; it easily passed both chambers of | ||
| Congress, and President Joe Biden signed it into law on October | ||
| 17, 2022, authorizing the designation of the site as a unit of the | ||
| National Park Service; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Today, the Blackwell School is one of the very few | ||
| National Historic Sites devoted specifically to the | ||
| commemoration of Latino heritage; the original school building | ||
| functions as a museum and community center, with a replica | ||
| classroom featuring rows of old desks; moreover, the Blackwell | ||
| School Alliance has assembled a wealth of artifacts, from | ||
| trophies, sports uniforms, photographs, and old letters to the | ||
| wooden paddle once used to discipline children; the site also | ||
| includes the 1927 Band Hall; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Through their hard work and many years of | ||
| grassroots advocacy, the members of the Blackwell School | ||
| Alliance have ensured lasting protection of an authentic setting | ||
| to commemorate and interpret the Mexican American experience, | ||
| the culture of the borderlands, and the sometimes painful history | ||
| of progress in our society; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th | ||
| Legislature, hereby recognize April 22, 2023, as Blackwell | ||
| School Day at the State Capitol and commend the Blackwell School | ||
| Alliance for its outstanding contributions. | ||
| Blanco | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| President of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that the | ||
| above Resolution was adopted by | ||
| the Senate on April 17, 2023. | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Member, Texas Senate | ||
