Bethlehem Baptist Church Mural
The mural is a visual representation of the struggle for equality in Mansfield, Texas.
When the addition of the T. M. Moody building was completed in 2006 at the Bethlehem Baptist Church, in west Mansfield, the church commissioned a mural in the entrance depicting the events of the Mansfield Crisis. T.M. Moody, the focal point of this mural, was a local citizen of Mansfield working with L. Clifford Davis, an attorney for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), to enforce the integration of African American students at Mansfield High School after the 1955 Supreme Court decree of Brown v. Board of Education II. In the foreground of the mural on the left are recognizable residents of the African American community and some prominent members of the congregation of Bethlehem Baptist Church; in the right corner of the mural are the Texas Rangers and local law enforcement; in the background are the white residents of Mansfield. This mural stands as a memory to the congregation of the Bethlehem Baptist Church.
It should be noted that the artist employed artistic license in depicting the events of August 1956. Aside from the recognizable historical figures, the scenes borrow from other iconic images of other civil rights protests.
Kimberly Moody
2015-03-04
Dwight Eisenhower to Allan Shivers 1953-07-21
letter
Dwight D. Eisenhower responds to Allan Shivers concerns on the Supreme Court case (Brown v. Board of Education). Eisenhower assures Shivers that his concerns have been acknowledged.
Letter from Dwight Eisenhower on school segregation, July 21, 1953, Eisenhower, Dwight D.: Records as President, Official File, Box 614, OF-142-A-4 Negro Matters-Colored Question-Segregation-Integration (1); NAID#12171143, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, Kansas. http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/civil_rights_brown_v_boe.html.
1953-07-21
Herbert Brownell to Robyn Ladino 1992-11-23
letter
The Attorney General of the Eisenhower Administration shares his recollection to Robyn Ladino on the "Mansfield Crisis" almost 40 years later.
Letter from Herbert Brownell to Robyn Ladino, November 23, 1992, Brownell, Herbert Jr.: Additional Papers, 1897-1996, Box 7, La (4), Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, Kansas.
1992-11-23
Jackson v. Rawdon - Filed by L. Clifford Davis - September 26, 1955.
Jackson v Rawdon - filed by L. Clifford Davis on September 26, 1955.
Complaints and requests filed by Davis on September 26, 1955 on behalf of African American students of high school age in Mansfield, Texas against O.C. Rawdon and the Mansfield School Board.
The National Archives of Fort Worth
archives.gov/fort-worth
1955-09-26
Jackson v. Rawdon - J.A. Gooch request to abate and dismiss
On November 2, 1955, J. A. Gooch filed a request to abate and dismiss complaints filed by L. Clifford Davis on September 26, 1955.
J. A. Gooch, attorney for the defendants, files a request to dismiss the case filed by L. Clifford Davis, attorney for the plaintiff.
The National Archives of Fort Worth
archives.gov/fort-worth
1955-11-02
Jackson v. Rawdon - Judgement by Judge Estes, November 23, 1955
Judgement by Judge Estes in the case of Jackson v. Radon heard on November 7, 1955.
Judge Estes dismisses the case on behalf of the plaintiffs.
The National Archives of Fort Worth
archives.gov/fort-worth
1955-11-23
Jackson v. Rawdon - Notification of Summons for R.L. Huffman for appearances November 7, 1955 and September 17, 1956.
Two separate notices made by L. Clifford Davis regarding summons for R.L. Huffman.
Two separate notices regarding appearances by R.L. Huffman.
The first is notification sent informing J.A. Gooch of oral deposition of Huffman and Rawdon to take place on September 17, 1956.
The second document is an order for R.L. Huffman to appear on November 7, 1955.
The National Archives of Fort Worth
archives.gov/fort-worth
1955-11-04; 1956-09-06
Jackson v. Rawdon - November 21, 1955 - Explanation by Judge Estes
Memorandum of decision by Judge Estes in Jackson v. Rawdon case.
Judge Estes gives an explanation for his decision in the case of Jackson v. Rawdon.
The National Archives of Fort Worth
archives.gov/fort-worth
1955-11-21
Jackson v. Rawdon - November 7, 1955 - Transcript of Proceedings
Transcript of proceedings from the November 7, 1955 hearing.
Transcript of proceedings from the Jackson v. Rawdon case, originally heard in the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of Texas - Fort Worth Division on November 7, 1955.
The National Archives of Fort Worth
archives.gov/fort-worth
1955-11-07
Jackson v. Rawdon - Petition for appeal - Filed by Gooch
Petition for appeal filed by J.A. Gooch to the United States Court of Appeals.
Petition for appeal filed by J.A. Gooch on judgment dated August 27, 1956.
The National Archives of Fort Worth
archives.gov/fort-worth
1956-08-30