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The Dallas County Records Building’s historic “White Only” sign will be rededicated next week after six years in storage.
County Commissioner John Wiley Price was a leading proponent of preserving the segregation-era sign.
“If you don’t know your history, you are doomed to repeat it,” he said in an interview.
The “White Only” faded metal plate was rediscovered in 2003, when another sign that had covered it fell off the wall. The sign once hung above the segregation-era water fountain.
County leaders decided — after some contentious debate — to preserve the sign with a historical marker.
Dallas artist Lauren Woods transformed the water fountain into an art installation in 2013, after Price dedicated $15,000 of his own district’s budget to fund the project.
The water fountain-turned-artwork plays a video projection of newsreel clips showing Civil Rights-era protests on a special screen, before releasing water.
The Dallas County Commissioners Court is holding the ceremony at 10 a.m. on Aug. 18, in the first floor lobby of the Dallas County Records Building at 500 Elm St.
The “White Only” sign will be replaced and could look different. The sign was etched into the wall, Price said, and torn out during the restoration process. Woods has also updated the video reel, Price said.
Just three years after the installation opened, the building closed for renovations, and the sign was stored while the six-year construction project was underway. Now, the Records Building houses more than 700 county employees and the Commissioners Court.
The installation is one of several historical markers placed around the renovated building. The building once housed the jail, the sheriff’s office and the criminal courtrooms. Segregation was etched into the original design of the Records Building, Price said. A blueprint showed “White” and “Colored” restrooms and water fountains.
Price, who is Black, is the longest serving elected official in Dallas County. When he passes by the water fountain, he said he feels a sense of duty to press forward for change.
“I got here on the backs of those people,” Price said. “I’ve got to stay vigilant so that I don’t see the turning back of the hands of time.”
Dallas’ history of racism-fueled segregation extends far beyond the Records Building.
Texas was the last state to officially end slavery, on June 19, 1865 — a date now celebrated as Juneteenth.
Until 1953, the State Fair of Texas was segregated. That year, the State Fair opened the midway to all races, except for two rides, reported. Those two were restricted because there was the potential for Black and white people to touch each other. Fair officials feared violence, The News reported.
Jim Crow laws were not fully extinguished until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but even then, segregation was present in many Southern schools until the 1970s.
With the current political climate around school board debates like critical race theory, Price said it’s important to remember history. He said the tension surrounding these racial issues reminds him of the Jim Crow era.
Price said restrictive state voting measures like limiting mail-in ballots to senior citizens, no online registration and no same-day voter registration are designed to suppress voters. He feels like some things haven’t changed.
“We haven’t come as far as people would like to see,” Price said. “It’s a tale of two cities, and most of us don’t recognize that’s where we are.”