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