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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
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honor and commemorate Julia Scott Reed, who died on October 19, |
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2004, at the age of 87, and to join the celebrating her remarkable |
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life and achievements in honor of Black History Month in February |
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of 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, Julia Scott Reed was born on July 17, 1917, in |
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Dallas; after attending Booker T. Washington High School and |
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studying journalism and communications at Wiley College |
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Extension, Julia began her impressive and trailblazing career in |
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journalism by working as a reporter for the Kansas City Call; and |
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WHEREAS, In the course of her distinguished career, Julia |
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worked for a number of prestigious news outlets, including the |
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Dallas Express, where she served as a reporter and later as the |
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paper's editor, and the KNOK-FM radio station, where she hosted |
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the segment "News and Views"; Julia went on to join the Dallas |
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Morning News as a reporter, and her research and writing covered |
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politics, civil rights, and racial conflict during an especially |
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tumultuous time for the African American community in Dallas; and |
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WHEREAS, While still working for the Dallas Express, Julia |
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reported on the historic United States Supreme Court case Brown |
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v. Board of Education of Topeka, and she covered such notable |
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stories as the 1954 Waco tornado and the assassination of Lee |
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Harvey Oswald; in 1967, she was hired by the Dallas Morning News |
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and became the first African American writer to join the |
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newspaper's staff; her column, "The Open Line," cemented her |
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reputation as an influential journalist in Dallas and lent a |
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voice to the Black community during the racial violence of the |
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late 1960s; and |
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WHEREAS, Julia's activism reached beyond her professional |
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writing; her involvement in the community included serving as a |
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Democratic Party chair of Precinct 306 for 23 years and serving |
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as the first president of the Dallas Urban League; she was an |
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active member of the National Association for the Advancement of |
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Colored People, Planned Parenthood, and the Goals for Dallas Task |
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Force, and she was the first African American woman to join the |
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Dallas Press Club; and |
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WHEREAS, A woman of courage, strength, conviction, and |
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unshakeable ideals, Julia led the way for many of the voices of |
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people of color in Texas journalism, and her many notable |
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accomplishments and valuable contributions to her profession and |
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to her community have left an inspiring legacy; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the exceptional life and |
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achievements of Julia Scott Reed and join in celebrating February |
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of 2023 as Black History Month; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in |
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honor of the life of Julia Scott Reed. |