Dallas College presents "The Accommodation: Journey to Triumph"
On Wednesday, February 15, the Dallas College Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and the Offices of the Presidents (as led by Dr. Joe Seabrooks) celebrated the journey of Black triumph in the City of Dallas via a timely discussion with authors Mr. Jim Schutze and Commissioner John Wiley Price.
In The Accommodation: Journey to Triumph, Dallas College paid homage via an engaging keynote and intimate conversation on race, culture, housing, civil rights, and opportunity. The discussion was moderated by our own Jasmine D. Parker, Ph.D., systemwide Senior Diversity Leader.
Dallas Media Collaborative x Big D Reads: Modern-Day Redlining in Dallas
On Wednesday, October 19, the Dallas Media Collaborative (DMC) in partnership with Big D Reads hosted an overview of the major findings from the Banking Below 30 series led by investigative producer Jason Trahan, one of the WFAA journalists whose story uncovered that nearly 20 percent of banks in Dallas openly refuse to lend to minority communities below I-30.
Trahan led a panel discussion with the author of The Accommodation, Jim Schutze, SMU professor Barbara Minsker, whose recent study examines another form of redlining — infrastructure deserts — and James McGee, president of Southern Dallas Progress.
Together, the panelists discussed how modern-day redlining persists in Dallas and left us with an idea of how we can move forward on economic justice and rights to opportunity.
The DMC is a group of Dallas-area news outlets, universities, and nonprofits that focuses on examining affordable housing through a solutions journalism lens.
Beyond the Accommodation: A Real and Raw Conversation with Jim Schutze and Rev. Peter Johnson About Dallas’ Civil Rights History
St. Paul United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Dallas, and community partners present a real and raw conversation moderated by Cheryl Smith, publisher and executive editor of I Messenger Media News Group. The conversation focused on Dallas’ civil rights history and featured The Accommodation author, Jim Schutze, and Rev. Peter Johnson, a prominent civil rights leader whose history of activism in Dallas spans over four decades.
This event is the first time Jim Schutze and Rev. Peter Johnson will appear together on a public stage. This conversation was a frank, real, raw, and honest presentation of Dallas' civil rights history. It will examine how race, class, politics, and power shaped Dallas' past, present, and implications for the future. Attendees will see Dallas' history through the lens of the prolific writer, author, and historian Jim Schutze, and the Civil Rights Activist/Legend Rev. Peter Johnson. Rev. Peter Johnson's direct confrontation with the city's racist institutions and policies changed the history of Dallas politically, economically, and socially. Come prepared for a 'no-holds barred' conversation about the REAL events and REAL people that still impact Dallas to this day.
Next Generation Action Network's The Accommodation discussion with Jim Schutze and Minister Dominique Alexander
This event, hosted by the Next Generation Action Network, featured a question and answer portion with The Accommodation author Jim Schutze, moderated by Dominique Alexander, and a panel discussion moderated by Walter "Changa" Higgins. Event attendees had the opportunity to inquire about community involvement, readings from the book, and highlight and compare how much has changed when it comes to racism, bigotry, and the lack of justice and equality between then and now. Learn more about the Next Generation Action Network here.
Booker T. Washington School for the Performing Arts
All School Read Talk-Back
The Booker T. Washington School for the Performing Arts selected "The Accommodation" as their required summer read for students, and Big D Reads was glad to provide complimentary hardcover book copies for all students. A reception with author Jim Schutze, forward writer John Wiley Price, and Bernadette Nutall was held on Thursday, September 29, 2022, with the book talk to follow in the Montgomery Arts Theatre. The panel was moderated by Booker T. Washington high school junior, Reggie Compton. Special thanks to Big D Reads steering committee members, Melody Townsel, AP Literature/Language teacher, and principal, Dr. Scott Rudes for their partnership in making this possible.
Dallas CASA: Virtual Panel Discussion with Jim Schutze and Community Leaders
On September 28, 2022, Dallas CASA CEO, Kathleen LaValle, interviewed the author of The Accommodation, Jim Schutze, and led a panel discussion with Dallas County District Attorney, John Creuzot, Professor Emeritus, SMU Dedman School of Law, Maureen Armour, Owner/Redeveloper of Red Bird Mall, Peter Brodsky, and Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III.
Faith and the City: The Role of Faith Communities in Shaping Dallas' Future
September 12, 2022 | Photos by Bret Redman, D Magazine, at SMU
Big D Reads x Changemakers Connect
September 8, 2022 | Photos by Bret Redman, D Magazine, at Klyde Warren Park
September 1, 2022 | Photos by Bret Redman, D Magazine, at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library
Big D Reads Launch Event
Joaquín Zihuatanejo recites his original work "For a Place Called Dallas" which was commissioned by Big D Reads '22: The Accommodation. Recorded at the Big D Reads launch at the Dallas Public Library on September 1, 2022.
View livestreams of our past events below.
Watch the livestream recording of The Dallas Institute’s
Athena’s Accommodation in partnership with Big D Reads
Athena’s Accommodation: Can a City Heal?
On April 6, The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, in collaboration with Big D Reads, held an event focused on Jim Schutze’s book, The Accommodation. This event sought to place The Accommodation in dialogue with an ancient Greek tragedy, Aeschylus’s Oresteia. Each text concerns the possibility of a city’s recovery from a painful history of intergenerational trauma. There was a discussion in which we – together – sought the wisdom of Athena in our own attempt to transcend – to some degree– the injuries of the past.
This conversation featured Rabbi Nancy Kasten and civil rights attorney Justin Moore, Esq., and was moderated by journalist and commentator Lee Cullum.
The Accommodation is published by local nonprofit Deep Vellum Publishing and is available in hardcover, audiobook, and e-book here.
Watch the livestream recording of Communities Foundation of Texas’ The Accommodation: A Cause-Minded Conversation
In mid-September, Communities Foundation of Texas partnered with Deep Vellum Publishing and KERA to host a Cause-Minded Conversation on The Accommodation, featuring author Jim Schutze and forward writer John Wiley Price. The conversation was moderated by CFT's Noelle LeVeaux and was live streamed and recorded from the historic Pittman Hotel grand ballroom.
The Accommodation — authored by Jim Schutze and recently re-issued by Deep Vellum with a new forward written by John Wiley Price—is the powerful, long-repressed Dallas history book that examines the suppressed past of race and politics in the city.
Knowing and acknowledging our history is a crucial step toward uniting our city in this critical time. Our goal is for this conversation to serve as a launching point to more transparent conversations and plans for progress, paving the way to a more equitable future for all Dallas citizens and communities.