The Communities Foundation of Texas & Deep Vellum invite you to join us for a cause-minded conversation series. We Are One City: Elevating the Story of Dallas.
Ernest McMillan, author of the memoir Standing and the poetry collection Kneeling, explores the legacy of the Civil Rights era in Dallas through primary sources, including his own work. He will be joined in conversation by Rev. Peter Johnson.
Presented with the support of the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture
This memoir of one man's coming-of-age through the Civil Rights movement follows his childhood innocence of white supremacy during the 50’s to his awakening as a full-time organizer in the deep south, and the petrifying costs he was bound to pay.
From Civil Rights activist and full-time organizer in the Deep South Ernest McMillan: a collection of poems and short stories that seeks to explore the dynamics of love.
M. Ernest McMillan is a veteran human rights activist with a history of working through the 60's in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and throughout the 80’s with the National Black United Front and the United League of Mississippi. McMillan served as the Chairman of the Dallas SNCC from 1967- 1969. He is deeply involved in the work of connecting arts with the community and developing avenues to foster and engage multigenerational, multicultural bridges for community uplift.
Reverend Peter Johnson is a prominent civil rights leader whose history of activism in Dallas spans over four decades. Before moving to Dallas in 1969, he held positions with the NAACP, CORE, and the SCLC. Opening a SCLC office in Dallas, Johnson partnered with the Fair Park Block Partnership to resist the unfair removal of Fair Park’s residents as the City of Dallas attempted to acquire the neighborhood surrounding the fairgrounds. Johnson also drew attention for his campaigns against structural inequality and urban hunger, as demonstrated by his work with the SCLC’s ‘Operation Breadbasket’ in Dallas. Johnson remains an active champion for human rights in Dallas, as he continues to promote civil rights law, youth empowerment, and a more just community.