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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The 75th anniversary of Texas Southern University |
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provides a fitting opportunity to celebrate the legacy of educator |
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and civil rights activist Heman Marion Sweatt, whose fight to be |
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admitted to law school led to the establishment of TSU in 1947; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Houston on December 11, 1912, Heman Sweatt |
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received his bachelor's degree from Wiley College in Marshall and |
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later attended the University of Michigan; after pursuing several |
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occupations, he took a job as a mail clerk in Houston and became the |
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local secretary of the National Alliance of Postal Employees; his |
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efforts to oppose the discriminatory practices of the post office, |
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where Blacks were systematically excluded from holding supervisory |
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positions, inspired his interest in studying law, but at the time, |
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there were no law schools in the state that admitted African |
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Americans; heeding the advice of civil rights activist and attorney |
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William J. Durham, he decided to apply to The University of Texas |
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School of Law and agreed to serve as the plaintiff in a lawsuit if |
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his admission was denied on the basis of race; and |
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WHEREAS, In February 1946, Mr. Sweatt and members of the |
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NAACP met with T. S. Painter, the president of The University of |
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Texas at Austin, to formally request admission to the law school; |
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despite Mr. Sweatt's qualifications, he was denied entrance when |
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the Texas attorney general upheld the state's policy of racial |
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segregation; in May of that year, Mr. Sweatt filed suit against |
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Painter and other officials, and in an initial ruling, the |
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presiding judge gave the state six months to offer an equal course |
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of legal instruction for African Americans; and |
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WHEREAS, That ruling prompted the Texas Legislature to pass a |
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bill in 1947 that provided for the establishment of four law schools |
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for Black students; it was decided that the Houston College for |
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Negroes, located in the city's Third Ward neighborhood, would be |
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the site of one of the new schools; the institution was acquired by |
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the State of Texas and initially renamed the Texas State University |
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for Negroes; it opened in September 1947 with an enrollment of 2,300 |
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students and offered vocational, pharmacy, and arts and sciences |
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coursework in addition to law studies; its name was changed to Texas |
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Southern University in 1951, and TSU has steadily expanded its |
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educational mission through the decades; and |
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WHEREAS, Heman Sweatt's pursuit of equality did not end with |
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the establishment of TSU; he continued his legal efforts to gain |
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admission to the UT School of Law, and in June 1950, the |
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U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Sweatt v. Painter that Black law |
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students were not offered substantial quality in educational |
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opportunities; as a result, Mr. Sweatt and five other African |
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American students registered to attend UT in September 1950, ending |
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the era of segregation at the law school; during his long struggle |
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for justice, he and his family had endured threats of violence, and |
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he faced further hostility after enrolling; the stress took a |
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physical and emotional toll that affected his studies, and in the |
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summer of 1952, he left law school and returned to Houston; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Sweatt went on to earn a master's degree from |
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the Atlanta University Graduate School of Social Work in 1954, and |
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he was subsequently employed by the NAACP and the National Urban |
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League and taught at Atlanta University; his involvement in civil |
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rights issues included working on voter registration drives and |
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establishing programs for southern Blacks migrating to northern |
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states; he passed away on October 3, 1982, at the age of 69; and |
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WHEREAS, Heman Sweatt's determined efforts to fight racial |
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injustice led to the establishment of TSU and helped secure more |
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equitable educational opportunities for Black students, and his |
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extraordinary contributions will continue to resonate long into the |
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future; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Heman Marion Sweatt on the occasion of the |
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75th anniversary of Texas Southern University and pay tribute to |
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the life and legacy of this civil rights pioneer. |
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Dutton |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 124 was adopted by the House on March |
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8, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, 2 present, not |
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voting. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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