H.R. No. 97
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The city of Dallas lost an esteemed professor,
  author, storyteller, and entrepreneur with the passing of Dr. Njoki
  McElroy on October 16, 2023; and
         WHEREAS, Born in Sherman in 1925, Njoki McElroy grew up in the
  Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas; she attended segregated,
  under-resourced public schools, but credited her supportive Black
  teachers with enabling her to enroll in Xavier University in New
  Orleans at the age of 16; after beginning her career as a public
  school teacher, she earned her master's and doctoral degrees in
  performance studies from Northwestern University; she went on to
  teach there for over three decades, creating groundbreaking courses
  in the performance of Black literature; in 1987, she joined the
  Master of Liberal Studies program at Southern Methodist University;
  adoring students nicknamed her "Queen Professor," and many of them
  went on to become leaders in the entertainment world and other
  fields; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. McElroy was a prolific writer, and The Dallas
  Morning News hailed in particular her autobiographical 1012
  Natchez: A Memoir of Grace, Hardship and Love; her short story was
  anthologized in the critically acclaimed From Daughters to Mothers:
  I've Always Meant to Tell You, and her plays were produced on
  university and professional stages alike; a master storyteller, she
  performed and conducted workshops throughout the U.S., Europe, and
  the Caribbean, training educators in ways to engage students by
  incorporating storytelling in their instruction; she directed
  several productions centered on overcoming the legacy of racism in
  Dallas, most notably 2019's From Freedman's Town to Botham Jean:
  Stories of Racial Healing; as founder of the annual Back Home with
  the Folks Festival, she provided a platform for artists in
  marginalized neighborhoods, and she was a generous mentor to
  countless people and raised money to support their creative
  endeavors; and
         WHEREAS, Abundantly talented, Dr. McElroy was also a
  photographer and a television producer, and she and her husband
  launched Black Fox Enterprises, a beauty company with major-market
  distribution; following his death in 1978, she took over as
  president/CEO; among myriad accolades, she received the
  President's Council on Youth Opportunity Award, the NAACP Living
  Legend Award, and a Ford Foundation Fellowship; moreover, she was
  the treasured matriarch of a fine family that included six children
  and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and
  great-great-grandchildren; and
         WHEREAS, Njoki McElroy led a rich and purposeful life, and
  her legacy as a champion of Black culture will continue to resonate
  for years to come; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory
  of Dr. Njoki McElroy and extend sincere sympathy to all who mourn
  her passing; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
  Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Dr. Njoki
  McElroy.
 
  Davis
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 97 was unanimously adopted by a rising
  vote of the House on November 1, 2023.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House