Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HR1215 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	H.R. No. 1215
2	2
3	3
4	4	R E S O L U T I O N
5	5	WHEREAS, The Blackwell School Alliance secured designation
6	6	of the Blackwell School in Marfa as a National Historic Site in
7	7	October 2022; and
8	8	WHEREAS, Opened in 1909, in an era of de facto segregation of
9	9	Mexican Americans, the school served local students until 1965, a
10	10	year after passage of the Civil Rights Act, when Marfa integrated
11	11	its schools; the faculty was largely White, and children could be
12	12	punished harshly for speaking Spanish, even though for some, it was
13	13	not only their native language, but their only language; the school
14	14	was supplied with hand-me-down books and other equipment from Marfa
15	15	Elementary, the school for Whites; and
16	16	WHEREAS, Alumni of Blackwell School learned in 2006 that the
17	17	school district planned to tear down or sell the nearly century-old
18	18	one-room adobe schoolhouse; they began organizing to save the
19	19	structure, forming the Blackwell School Alliance in 2007; joined by
20	20	other community advocates, they cleaned up the building and
21	21	fundraised to make repairs; they went on to seek recognition for the
22	22	school from the Texas Historical Commission, which was granted in
23	23	2010; nine years later, their efforts led to its inclusion in the
24	24	National Register of Historic Places; and
25	25	WHEREAS, The members of the alliance have worked tirelessly
26	26	to document and preserve the school's history, partnering with
27	27	universities, state agencies, private foundations, the City of
28	28	Marfa, and individuals; in addition, they have garnered support
29	29	from elected officials, and in 2021, a bipartisan group of
30	30	representatives filed the Blackwell School National Historic Site
31	31	Act; it easily passed both chambers of Congress, and President Joe
32	32	Biden signed it into law on October 17, 2022, authorizing the
33	33	designation of the site as a unit of the National Park Service; and
34	34	WHEREAS, Today, the Blackwell School is one of the very few
35	35	National Historic Sites devoted specifically to the commemoration
36	36	of Latino heritage; the original school building functions as a
37	37	museum and community center, with a replica classroom featuring
38	38	rows of old desks; moreover, the Blackwell School Alliance has
39	39	assembled a wealth of artifacts, from trophies, sports uniforms,
40	40	photographs, and old letters to the wooden paddle once used to
41	41	discipline children; the site also includes the 1927 Band Hall; and
42	42	WHEREAS, Through their hard work and many years of grassroots
43	43	advocacy, the members of the Blackwell School Alliance have ensured
44	44	lasting protection of an authentic setting to commemorate and
45	45	interpret the Mexican American experience, the culture of the
46	46	borderlands, and the sometimes painful history of progress in our
47	47	society; now, therefore, be it
48	48	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
49	49	Legislature hereby recognize April 22, 2023, as Blackwell School
50	50	Day at the State Capitol and commend the Blackwell School Alliance
51	51	for its outstanding contributions.
52	52	Morales of Maverick
53	53	______________________________
54	54	Speaker of the House
55	55	I certify that H.R. No. 1215 was adopted by the House on May
56	56	6, 2023, by a non-record vote.
57	57	______________________________
58	58	Chief Clerk of the House