Al Lipscomb 1925-2011: Agitator For Justice
Al Lipscomb is gone. His legacy however will live on . Many in the Dallas black community loved him for being as he stated "agitator for justice". To understand Al , you need to understand the times. Dallas and America was remarkably different when Al lead street protests in the 60"s and early 70"s.
There were no black presidents, Obama was in grade school and Nixon was in the White House.The Dallas basketball team wasn't the Mavericks ,it was the the ABA Dallas Chapparals,and the majority of Dallas was disenfranchised from having a voice .The voiceless was the southern sector comprised of working class folk ,black and white. Dallas was ruled by a select few of upper class white buisnessmen who controlled Dallas through the Dallas Citizens Council.Dallas was at the crossroads and a select few controlled the narrative ,and they did so by by portraying Dallas as a opportunity for all , but for many the options were indeed limited.
Think of a freeway think of a leader, Stemmons ,Woodall Rogers,Carpenter etc.They controlled Dallas by their buisness acumen and sheer political power .The vote was not gerrymandered because those in control,controlled the vote.The Voting Rights had not been extennded to Texas ,that would occur in 1975.Before the Voting Rights Act, Al Lipscomb was there.
Al was the first black man to run for Mayor in Dallas. He did in a time that the most favorite Democrat in Dallas county was named George Wallace not George McGovern.
Al joined the civil rights struggle in the 60's before there was a MLK Day,and led street protests from his South Dallas headquarters.Al gave voice to the voiceless who didn't have a voice downtown.Most black folk at that time observed the southern custom of getting along without upsetting the apple cart. You see that was "The Dallas Way" . Al followed his own way because he was a trailblazer.
He ran for mayor in 1971 he came in 3rd ,impressive but he lost the first black to run more impressive, he ran for school board and lost, he ran for County Commissioner and lost.He won by losing.The results of him losing had the intended effect of affecting change.Two things changed from Al Lipscomb's evolution from street protest to electoral engagement.They are things we take for granted the extension of the Voting Right Act to cover Texas which was done in 1975,and the the ending of the at large municipal electoral system and the creation of the present day electoral system in Dallas.
Al will be missed ,because he was trailblazer who upset the apple cart. Many are called agitators for freedom and justice after they have passed. Al joins many other far more well known agitators, Martin Luther King ,and George Washington ,both agitated for freedom and justice. All three had their time to affect change .Their time has passed. It is now our time.
There were no black presidents, Obama was in grade school and Nixon was in the White House.The Dallas basketball team wasn't the Mavericks ,it was the the ABA Dallas Chapparals,and the majority of Dallas was disenfranchised from having a voice .The voiceless was the southern sector comprised of working class folk ,black and white. Dallas was ruled by a select few of upper class white buisnessmen who controlled Dallas through the Dallas Citizens Council.Dallas was at the crossroads and a select few controlled the narrative ,and they did so by by portraying Dallas as a opportunity for all , but for many the options were indeed limited.
Think of a freeway think of a leader, Stemmons ,Woodall Rogers,Carpenter etc.They controlled Dallas by their buisness acumen and sheer political power .The vote was not gerrymandered because those in control,controlled the vote.The Voting Rights had not been extennded to Texas ,that would occur in 1975.Before the Voting Rights Act, Al Lipscomb was there.
Al was the first black man to run for Mayor in Dallas. He did in a time that the most favorite Democrat in Dallas county was named George Wallace not George McGovern.
Al joined the civil rights struggle in the 60's before there was a MLK Day,and led street protests from his South Dallas headquarters.Al gave voice to the voiceless who didn't have a voice downtown.Most black folk at that time observed the southern custom of getting along without upsetting the apple cart. You see that was "The Dallas Way" . Al followed his own way because he was a trailblazer.
He ran for mayor in 1971 he came in 3rd ,impressive but he lost the first black to run more impressive, he ran for school board and lost, he ran for County Commissioner and lost.He won by losing.The results of him losing had the intended effect of affecting change.Two things changed from Al Lipscomb's evolution from street protest to electoral engagement.They are things we take for granted the extension of the Voting Right Act to cover Texas which was done in 1975,and the the ending of the at large municipal electoral system and the creation of the present day electoral system in Dallas.
Al will be missed ,because he was trailblazer who upset the apple cart. Many are called agitators for freedom and justice after they have passed. Al joins many other far more well known agitators, Martin Luther King ,and George Washington ,both agitated for freedom and justice. All three had their time to affect change .Their time has passed. It is now our time.
posted by EdGray4America.com at
2:08 PM
7 Comments:
What a truly excellent snapshot of the history of Dallas! Everyone be sure to watch all three segments of the first video.
Al as an "agitator" and was accused of being "quick to play the Race card". Sometimes people are afraid to admit sometimes it is not a "Race card" being played so much as the "Race blinders" being removed.
Louis Farrakhan, Malcolm X, Dr. King, Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Al Lipscomb have been labeled as "extremists" for their outspokenness. We can see from these videos that maturity came slowly to Dallas and with the ever-present fear of violence (well-founded fear). Without these "extremists" like Al, how much more slowly would Dallas have made these necessary changes?
Al was Dallas' own agitator-extremist within the political system as well as the marches and rallies. He kept the same "extreme" emotions in the City Council whenever he saw Dallas dragging its feet (or even reverting to its old ways with redistricting issues and such - sound familiar?).
Without the "extremist" the status quo seems justified. God Bless the extremist, or nothing would ever move forward ... as long as it is done peaceably with a love for all people that Mr. Lipscomb showed.
Thanks Ed,
Glen
Great page, Ed. Everyone be sure to watch all 3 segments of the first video. What a great snapshot of Dallas history and a great leader.
There are some people who seem intent on bringing up Al Lipscomb's shortcomings - in a city with freeways named after KKK members and with monuments to treasonous confederate soldiers - aren't we being a little selective in our 'righteous' indignation. Must be new comers who don't remember the '70's!
Thank you so kindly Mr. Gray for portraying the True Al Libscomb. He was a trailblazer and not a follower. There was much to fight for as it is still today but I am thankful for his time. He was no coward. He stood for OUR rights! He was not a man that could be intimidated by a person's title, color or position. His legacy lives on in each of us.
He was truly a remarkable person with many facets, and I felt it would appropriate to paint a complete picture. I thought Ron Kirk’s comments about judging the whole man seemed especially on point.
I also found your video blog to be very instructive. Thanks for pointing it out to me.
This is not only a great tribute to a great man, it is a poignant account of a significant time in Dallas history. Well done, my friend. Thanks for sharing it.
Very good piece. Al Lipscomb personally took time out for me in HS and got me involved in political campaigns. He truly is a legacy.
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