Austin College to Host Descendants of Civil Rights Leader in Panel Discussion April 27

On Thursday, April 27, the Austin College Pre-Law Society and student organization Black Expressions will host a panel discussion with two descendants of transformative Civil Rights and Constitutional Law Attorney William J. Durham, a Sherman resident who helped successfully desegregate higher education in the early 1950s and the State Fair of Texas in the next decade.

Judge Maryellen Hicks of Tarrant County, Texas, and Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks of Fort Worth will speak about Durham’s life and legacy and the ways in which his descendants are working to preserve his memory. The program will be held in Sherman Hall on the Austin College campus from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. in Hoxie Thompson Auditorium.

In addition to their connection to Durham, the two guest speakers are themselves ground-breaking leaders in civic service. Judge Hicks is the first Black woman graduate of Texas Tech School of Law and one of the first Black woman judges elected in Tarrant County. Her daughter, Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks, was the youngest woman ever elected to Fort Worth City Council.

Judge Hicks and Councilwoman Hicks will also discuss their careers as elected officials.

The program has been organized by Austin College junior and Pre-Law Society president Clemon White, who has worked for the past year on research to uncover the full story of Durham as an unsung hero of the Civil Rights movement. White will make a brief presentation on his research, then lead the panel discussion with Judge Hicks and Councilwoman Hicks.

White was inspired to learn more about William J. Durham following a 2022 January Term course, “The History of Racial Violence in Texoma,” led by history faculty member Dr. Felix Harcourt. He helped White develop a summer research project to build local knowledge of Durham, whose law office was lost to fire in the 1930 race riot in Sherman. White conducted genealogical research and made the connection with living relatives who are carrying on Durham’s legacy.

The College’s ongoing research around Sherman’s civil rights history is supported by the multi-year Legacies of American Slavery project grant in 2021 to Austin College from the Council of Independent Colleges.