88R21602 BPG-D
 
  By: Blanco S.R. No. 423
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         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 88th Texas Legislature
  hereby recognize April 22, 2023, as Blackwell School Day at the
  State Capitol and commend the Blackwell School Alliance for its
  outstanding contributions.