Sweatting It Out

Dedication Ceremony Program

Historical Plaque

Today, I saw something that I never dreamed I would see when I wrote my doctoral dissertation ("A Survey of the History of Black People in Texas, 1930-1954") in 1971-1972. Heman M. Sweatt was posthumously honored with a plaque in the Travis County courtroom where he brought suit (with his lead counsel — Thurgood Marshall — who moved from the NAACP legal team to Solicitor General of the United States and then to the U.S. Supreme Court). Sweatt, who was handpicked to seek admission to the UT-Austin College of Law and then failed Law 1 and was dismissed, gained vindication today.

In the 126th District Courtroom where Sweatt v. Painter was argued, I saw the heirs of Heman Sweatt: attorneys and judges of color who crowded into that courtroom to honor Sweatt's memory. I sat next to Texas Supreme Court Justice Rose Spector (1993-1998). I told her how amazing this scene was to me. It meant a great deal to her as well. On February 28, 2005, Heman Sweatt was vindicated by all of Texas, no matter the color of skin.

Sweatt v. Painter (1950) was the prelude to Brown v. Topeka, KS Board of Education (1954). I told that story before anyone else.

If this is (fair & balanced) historical closure, so be it.