Dallas debates fate of 'Whites Only' sign
Reuters
Mar. 7, 2003 01:35 PM
DALLAS - A faded ''Whites Only'' sign carved decades ago above a drinking
fountain in a government building in Dallas has rekindled furious debate
over the Texas city's segregationist past.
Over the years, workers have tried to buff the words out of the marble on
the wall of the Dallas County Records Building and covered them with a
metal sheet used as a splash-guard for the fountain.
But they came to light again within the past few months when workers
removed the cover, prompting impassioned pleas for their immediate
removal at county commissioners' meetings and protests demanding the sign
be covered again.
The county will decide soon on what to do with the sign, which is again
covered with a metal sheet. The three main options are removing the
marble slab, leaving it covered or putting it on display as it was when
Texas was a segregated state, with a thorough explanation of its
historical context.
County Judge Margaret Keliher has been holding closed-door meetings this
week with various groups about what to do with the sign. ''Cost is not
the issue,'' she told reporters. She said the county has asked experts on
the use of marble in construction to look into removing the slab.
Among those who have met with the judge are members of the Dallas NAACP.
The group wants the sign removed immediately, and perhaps preserved for
display in a museum.
''Covering the sign is not enough. If it is so horrible that you have to
cover something up, why don't you just remove it?'' said Bob Lydia,
president of the NAACP Dallas Branch.
The Dallas County Records Building is only about 200 yards from the spot
where U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was on display
and in force in November 1963.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0307POLITICS-RIGHTS-SEGREGATION-DC.html
