Dallas County has rededicated a sign that was placed at a water fountain in its records building during segregation. The 'Whites Only' sign was found inside the Dallas County Records Building 20 years ago.
"History is what history is, but we cannot allow people to try to reimagine the narrative," says Commissioner John Wiley Price, who launched the effort to restore the sign in 2013. "It's critical, and it's fact."
The county hired artist Lauren Woods to design artwork to accompany the sign, which will be placed above a water fountain near the building's entrance. Price says the county is working to ensure "this history is recorded."
Commissioners Theresa Daniel and J.J. Koch also attended the dedication.
"If history is just all the good stories and hero stories, it's not history, it's mythology," Koch said during the event. "We're not here to mythologize. We're here to learn from our pain."
"History is just so important. If you don't know your history, you're doomed to repeat it, right?" one man who attended the dedication said.
"It's a very public building. People are in and out all the time, so it's a chance for us to share the history of what's transpired and, hopefully, never comes to pass again," another person said.
The display includes a historical marker showing the background of the sign, saying the practice of segregating things like water fountains, hotels and restaurants dates from the end of Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"The Dallas County Commissioners Court has chosen to leave the remnants of this sign in its original location to remind us of this unpleasant portion of our history--if we cannot remember it, we will not learn from it, and we will not appreciate or respect the rights and the responsibilities that we enjoy," the historical marker reads.
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