Bill McElvaney in the Dallas Morning News
Story on activists from the
60s
The story is here.
Local activists of '60s highlighted in exhibit
09:31 PM CDT on Saturday, July 22, 2006
By CHRIS COLGIN / The Dallas Morning News
Photographc
SMILEY N. POOL/DMN
Clarence Broadnax shows Donna and Jim Mann a 1964 photograph of Mr. Broadnax protesting at a Piccadilly Cafeteria in downtown Dallas because it refused to serve blacks.
The first thing that caught Clarence Broadnax's eye was the large photograph of a sharply dressed man protesting outside a downtown Dallas restaurant.
There was good reason it drew his attention.
"That's me," the 66-year-old said.
He may be a little grayer than the 24-year-old in the picture, but Mr. Broadnax still has that same fire that spurred him to protest 42 years ago after the manager of a Piccadilly Cafeteria in Dallas refused to serve him.
The historical photograph is part of the "Call to Action" exhibit at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which tells the stories of local activists during the civil rights and anti-war movements in the 1960s.
"The exhibit focuses on what came after [President John F.] Kennedy's death and how people used his memory to advance their own social movements," said Stephen Fagin, the museum's oral historian.
It was in 1964 that Mr. Broadnax visited an Air Force recruiting office to get information about joining. He then walked to the Piccadilly Cafeteria on Commerce Street for lunch.
He was taken aback when the manager refused to serve him because he was black. Mr. Broadnax explained that he was a U.S. citizen who was about to sign up for the draft.
"He told me that he would close his business before he served me," Mr. Broadnax said. "I just told him that I was going to stay there until he served to all races.
"I had planned to sign up for the war, but I chose to die fighting for my civil rights in America rather than die in Vietnam fighting in a war I didn't believe in."
Mr. Broadnax, along with many others, picketed the cafeteria for 28 days in what turned out to be one of Dallas' largest civil rights demonstrations.
Eventually, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Piccadilly was forced to serve black patrons. Mr. Broadnax was one of the first blacks to eat there.
"The food was OK," he said with a laugh. The cafeteria closed in 1977.
After his struggles at the restaurant, Mr. Broadnax remained active in many civil rights organizations. Today, the retired hairstylist still stands up to the heat; he's the fire chief in Karnack, Texas.
It's stories like Mr. Broadnax's that the "Call to Action" exhibit is committed to keeping alive.
"This is something the museum has never done," executive director Nicola Longford said. "We're trying to put the Dallas civil rights movement in context with the national effort."
Because Dallas saw little of the conflict experienced in other Southern cities, the exhibit focuses on the lesser-known stories of local civil rights activists.
"Dallas didn't have any large-scale demonstrations," said Darwin Payne, a local historian and author of Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity in the 20th Century. "It never made any national headlines, but the demonstrations it did have were significant to the community."
The Rev. Bill McElvaney, who has an oral history that is part of the exhibit, gave a series of anti-war sermons in 1967 at Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas. The reaction was mixed.
Some people quietly agreed with Mr. McElvaney's political statement about the Vietnam War. Others didn't. One parishioner announced that he was leaving the church and accused Mr. McElvaney of sedition.
"It's interesting how different people respond to different issues," said Mr. McElvaney, 78. "For some people, when you challenge Uncle Sam, it's like you're challenging God."
In his oral history, he tells the story of an anti-ballistic-missile protest at Ferris Plaza.
"Many of us thought that some of the industrial war money would be better spent on peace and justice issues," said Mr. McElvaney, now retired.
While the protest was going on, a man from the American Nazi Party interrupted one of the speeches.
"This man just bolted out of the crowds saying, 'Hitler was right!' and threw red paint on us," Mr. McElvaney said. "Fortunately, it was water-based paint, so it wasn't too terrible to get off later.
"But I remember when I got home, I didn't want my wife to see me before I said: 'Honey, I'm all right. This is not blood. It's just red paint.' But those were just kind of the wild days that we had. It was very unpredictable what might happen at a public gathering like that."
After the war, Mr. McElvaney continued his peace-making efforts through many Methodist churches around Dallas. Before retiring, he taught preaching and worship for eight years at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.
In his oral history, 58-year-old Edward Harris recounts a different type of protest – an economic one. In 1968, as a member of the local chapter of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, Mr. Harris demonstrated against a South Dallas grocery store that the group thought was taking advantage of the neighborhood.
"I want people to come to this exhibit and be inspired enough to just go out and do what they can do to make this country a better place," said Mr. Harris, now a private housing consultant.
"They don't have to be Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X or JFK, but they need to get involved. Most young people want to make a difference, they just lack the motivation."
E-mail ccolgin@dallasnews.com
Local activists of '60s highlighted in exhibit
09:31 PM CDT on Saturday, July 22, 2006
By CHRIS COLGIN / The Dallas Morning News
Photographc
SMILEY N. POOL/DMN
Clarence Broadnax shows Donna and Jim Mann a 1964 photograph of Mr. Broadnax protesting at a Piccadilly Cafeteria in downtown Dallas because it refused to serve blacks.
The first thing that caught Clarence Broadnax's eye was the large photograph of a sharply dressed man protesting outside a downtown Dallas restaurant.
There was good reason it drew his attention.
"That's me," the 66-year-old said.
He may be a little grayer than the 24-year-old in the picture, but Mr. Broadnax still has that same fire that spurred him to protest 42 years ago after the manager of a Piccadilly Cafeteria in Dallas refused to serve him.
The historical photograph is part of the "Call to Action" exhibit at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which tells the stories of local activists during the civil rights and anti-war movements in the 1960s.
"The exhibit focuses on what came after [President John F.] Kennedy's death and how people used his memory to advance their own social movements," said Stephen Fagin, the museum's oral historian.
It was in 1964 that Mr. Broadnax visited an Air Force recruiting office to get information about joining. He then walked to the Piccadilly Cafeteria on Commerce Street for lunch.
He was taken aback when the manager refused to serve him because he was black. Mr. Broadnax explained that he was a U.S. citizen who was about to sign up for the draft.
"He told me that he would close his business before he served me," Mr. Broadnax said. "I just told him that I was going to stay there until he served to all races.
"I had planned to sign up for the war, but I chose to die fighting for my civil rights in America rather than die in Vietnam fighting in a war I didn't believe in."
Mr. Broadnax, along with many others, picketed the cafeteria for 28 days in what turned out to be one of Dallas' largest civil rights demonstrations.
Eventually, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Piccadilly was forced to serve black patrons. Mr. Broadnax was one of the first blacks to eat there.
"The food was OK," he said with a laugh. The cafeteria closed in 1977.
After his struggles at the restaurant, Mr. Broadnax remained active in many civil rights organizations. Today, the retired hairstylist still stands up to the heat; he's the fire chief in Karnack, Texas.
It's stories like Mr. Broadnax's that the "Call to Action" exhibit is committed to keeping alive.
"This is something the museum has never done," executive director Nicola Longford said. "We're trying to put the Dallas civil rights movement in context with the national effort."
Because Dallas saw little of the conflict experienced in other Southern cities, the exhibit focuses on the lesser-known stories of local civil rights activists.
"Dallas didn't have any large-scale demonstrations," said Darwin Payne, a local historian and author of Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity in the 20th Century. "It never made any national headlines, but the demonstrations it did have were significant to the community."
The Rev. Bill McElvaney, who has an oral history that is part of the exhibit, gave a series of anti-war sermons in 1967 at Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas. The reaction was mixed.
Some people quietly agreed with Mr. McElvaney's political statement about the Vietnam War. Others didn't. One parishioner announced that he was leaving the church and accused Mr. McElvaney of sedition.
"It's interesting how different people respond to different issues," said Mr. McElvaney, 78. "For some people, when you challenge Uncle Sam, it's like you're challenging God."
In his oral history, he tells the story of an anti-ballistic-missile protest at Ferris Plaza.
"Many of us thought that some of the industrial war money would be better spent on peace and justice issues," said Mr. McElvaney, now retired.
While the protest was going on, a man from the American Nazi Party interrupted one of the speeches.
"This man just bolted out of the crowds saying, 'Hitler was right!' and threw red paint on us," Mr. McElvaney said. "Fortunately, it was water-based paint, so it wasn't too terrible to get off later.
"But I remember when I got home, I didn't want my wife to see me before I said: 'Honey, I'm all right. This is not blood. It's just red paint.' But those were just kind of the wild days that we had. It was very unpredictable what might happen at a public gathering like that."
After the war, Mr. McElvaney continued his peace-making efforts through many Methodist churches around Dallas. Before retiring, he taught preaching and worship for eight years at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.
In his oral history, 58-year-old Edward Harris recounts a different type of protest – an economic one. In 1968, as a member of the local chapter of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, Mr. Harris demonstrated against a South Dallas grocery store that the group thought was taking advantage of the neighborhood.
"I want people to come to this exhibit and be inspired enough to just go out and do what they can do to make this country a better place," said Mr. Harris, now a private housing consultant.
"They don't have to be Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X or JFK, but they need to get involved. Most young people want to make a difference, they just lack the motivation."
E-mail ccolgin@dallasnews.com
Posted: Saturday - July 22, 2006 at 01:45 PM |
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