Dallas, TX
Cemetery for Dallas' Black pioneers finally gets historical marker, landmark designation
In a cemetery tucked away in Far North Dallas, surrounded on all sides by apartment buildings, a group of about 50 gathered in the chilly Saturday morning air.
They had come to see the unveiling of a State of Texas historical marker noting the significance of White Rock Cemetery Garden of Memories, a 173-year-old cemetery that serves as the final resting place for many of Dallas’ Black pioneers, some of whom were formerly enslaved. In addition to the historical marker, the site has recently received a Dallas landmark designation by the City Council, which ensures it will be preserved and protected far into the future.
Both the marker and the landmark designation are a long time coming, according to the local leaders who led the charge and the descendants of those buried in the cemetery. The designation will protect the site from any future real estate development, which has threatened it in the past.
As the sheet covering the marker was pulled away, one person in the crowd was especially emotional. Sheniqua Cummings, a Remembering Black Dallas and Preservation Dallas Board member, said she has been working on securing a historical marker and landmark designation since 2017, when she was assigned to the project by the late Dr. George Keaton Jr., founder of Remembering Black Dallas.
Cummings said she extensively researched the history of the families buried in the cemetery, which was accomplished through frequent trips to the library to read books on Dallas’ Black history, as well as conversing with Keaton, who had collected obituaries of those buried in the cemetery and contacts for their family members. She also drafted the language on the marker.
As she finally saw the fruits of all her labor, tears welled in her eyes as others in attendance embraced her with hugs. She said Keaton, who died in 2022, would’ve been thrilled to finally see the marker.
“I know he is looking down on us, and he is so filled and so happy that we finally got it done,” Cummings said.
Prior to the unveiling, several speakers, including local church leaders and public officials, spoke to the importance of preserving the cemetery, which they said is one of the oldest Black cemeteries in Texas and is possibly the first integrated cemetery in the state.
Dallas City Council member Jaynie Schultz, whose district includes the cemetery, said the space is the final resting place of many people with fascinating stories who had a huge hand in the initial development of North Dallas. She said the cemetery should be widely celebrated, and thanked the dedicated group of people who preserved the cemetery over the years.
“This was a place that needed to be protected and needed to be loved by more than just the few people at the time that were really pouring their hearts into it,” Schultz said. “It needs to be loved and acknowledged by our city, by our state, by everybody here in Dallas who gets the opportunity to come here.”
The landmark designation from the city will ease the worries of many with ties to the cemetery, as the site has previously been threatened by developments in the area. A 10-year court battle was launched after a large oil, cement and real estate conglomerate purchased adjacent land to the cemetery and padlocked the gate. The corporation said it was abandoned, despite family members making frequent visits to tend to their loved ones’ graves.
The cemetery is the final resting place for notable figures such as Anderson Bonner, who was born into slavery and later amassed over 2,000 acres of land. Other prominent names include George Coit and Henry Keller, who led the settling of a freedmen’s town in the Upper White Rock area by formerly enslaved people.
The site’s first burial was in 1852 and has since interred over 400 souls. As it was the only cemetery for Black people at the time, many early Black settlers were buried at the site.
Ancestors’ resting place
The ceremony was attended by many who have family members buried in the cemetery. Cummings herself has an ancestor, John Henry Peace, buried there.
Walter Anderson Bonner and his wife Audrey each have a large number of family members buried in the cemetery. Walter Bonner said he has roughly 30 to 40 family members buried there, including his sister and grandfather, while Audrey Bonner said she is descended from the Keller family, which also has a large number of family members buried there.
The Bonners live in Garland, but said they make the trip out to the cemetery a few times a year to visit the gravesites of their family members. They both expressed excitement over the marker and landmark designation, and said the next thing they hope can be added to the cemetery is a map to aid in finding the site, which is hidden in between several apartment complexes.
Nepha Love, 97, attended the ceremony along with several family members. She said all of her family is buried at the site, making it an important place to her and her family.
“I’m happy we finally got some nice recognition, because we’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time,” Love said.
Terrence Suber, a family member of Love’s, said he is glad the history will now be memorialized through the marker and protected thanks to the landmark designation.
“We’ve got to remember the history,” Suber said. “You can’t bury the history. History will live forever.”
Cummings said her work on securing the marker and landmark designation was supported by Schultz, the Dallas Parks and Recreation Board, the Dallas County and Texas Historical Commissions. Schultz said she grew up in North Dallas and never knew how important Black history was to the neighborhood.
After being elected to City Council, she was introduced to Cummings and learned about the cemetery and other important early contributions to North Dallas by Black people. She realized if she didn’t know about the history, then others wouldn’t either.
“We just knew we had to protect it,” Schultz said.
The wild card for both offenses in this matchup is the tight end position. Oronde Gadsden is a developing player with a high ceiling, while Dallas Goedert has been scoring more this year and has the talent to post a big game if coverage favors his opportunities. Which tight end offers more value on tonight’s DraftKings Showdown slate for Monday Night Football?
Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers (DK: $5,800)
From Week 6 to Week 9, Gadsden was an excellent waiver wire find at tight end. He had a floor of 12.00 fantasy points in four contests (7/68, 7/164/1, 5/77/1, and 5/68), highlighted by his best fantasy day (32.40). His role has been much lower over his last three games (3/13, 2/41, and 1/27) while averaging 4.3 targets.
The Eagles rank fourth in tight end defense (109.00 fantasy points). They allow only 8.6 yards per catch, accounting for 15.3% of their receiving yards allowed. Only three tight ends scored.
- Jake Ferguson (5/23)
- Travis Kelce (4/61)
- Evan Engram (4/33/1)
- T.J. Hockenson (6/43)
- Jake Ferguson (5/60)
- Cole Kmet (3/36/1)
Gadsden doesn’t have a great matchup on paper, but the Eagles’ defense hasn’t played the most challenging tight end schedule. I like the pricing on the Chargers’ tight end in this matchup.
Best MNF Wide Receivers to Target for Tonight’s DraftKings Showdown Slate
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (DK: $5,400)
Goedert is another player in this matchup over a quiet six-game stretch (3/18, 3/28/2, 4/43, 2/24, 2/20, and 2/27) on 21 combined targets. He scored seven touchdowns between Week 3 and Week 8 (six games), with his impact showing coming in Week 6 (9/110/1).
The Chargers also play week against tight ends (130.60 fantasy points – 6th). They’ve allowed six touchdowns, with them catching 71.9% of their targets.
- Travis Kelce (2/47/1)
- Theo Johnson (3/17/1)
- Tyler Warren (4/69/1)
- Brock Bowers (4/63/2)
Goedert should be an overlooked asset by Los Angeles’ defense in this matchup. His ceiling supports his lower salary, putting him in the mix at the backend of the showdown ticket.
Best DraftKings Showdown Running Back For Monday Night Football!
DraftKings Showdown Lineup Strategy For Eagles vs. Chargers
Here’s my game plan for tonight’s showdown:
- Jalen Hurts
- Dallas Goedert/Oronde Gadsden/Cameron Dicker
- Dallas Goedert/Oronde Gadsden/Cameron Dicker
- DeVonta Smith/Ladd McConkey/A.J. Brown
- Justin Herbert
Tre’ Harris is my top low-value filler.
My easier team builds have Oronde Gadsden or Dallas Goedert as the captain. Jalen Hurts is a must for me. I’m fading Saquon Barkley based on his salary and direction, while also rooting for the Eagles’ passing attack. The over/under (41.5) in this game is relatively low, suggesting slower drives and a faster-moving clock.
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The Stars were able to squeeze a 3-2 win out against the Penguins Sunday evening at home after a rocky sixty minutes of regulation.
The Stars welcomed back two key players who had been out of the lineup for weeks. Forward Matt Duchene and defenseman Nils Lundkvist were thrown right back into the swing of things in a game that never seemed fully in Dallas’ control.
The Stars struggled to get rolling in the first period. Passes were not connecting and shots were not going in. Thanks to goalie Jake Oettinger, the Penguins were held scoreless until Connor Dewar slapped a puck past him and got Pittsburgh on the board as the period winded down.
The Stars came out hot in the second period, with Jamie Benn leading the charge. Just under a minute and a half into play, Roope Hintz slid the puck to the captain, who shot it in and evened out the score. This is Benn’s fourth goal of the season after missing most of it due to a collapsed lung.
But the Stars’ momentum started to falter. They could not clear their own zone and took on two penalties in the process of trying to slow down the Penguins. Although the Stars killed both power plays, they could not manage to score on the other end, either. The Stars only recorded three shots on goal in the second period.
“It wasn’t our best game. I thought they were better than us tonight, five-on-five, especially in that second period,” head coach Glen Gulutzan said. “It took us a while to generate, we actually didn’t generate a ton… We’ve got to find our footing here a little bit. Whether it’s a little bit more rest or a couple practices to get sharpened up.”
Pittsburgh, who had 11 shots on goal in the second, scored with five minutes to go after Thomas Novak deflected a shot by Kris Letang into Oettinger’s goal.
Dallas came into the third period down 2-1, and for just over twelve minutes Dallas struggled to clear their zone and only recorded four shots on goal. Then, they were handed a chance after Ville Koivunen got sent to the box for slashing. But the Stars’ power play, which has been strong this season, could not deliver.
With just under five minutes to play, desperation for Dallas started to set in. The Stars fired off shots, but none could connect with the back of the net. Instead, they emptied their own net. The extra attacker gave Dallas the edge and defenseman Miro Heiskanen slapped a wrist shot past Tristan Jarry and tied things up.
This uphill battle of a game for Dallas was headed to overtime. Every possession looked like it could be the one to end things. Jason Robertson had a close chance, then Wyatt Johnston and then Robertson again. The Penguins had their own fair share of opportunities, but once again, Oettinger bailed out his team. Neither club could capitalize and the game went to a shootout.
Robertson missed the first shot and Oettinger gloved Bryan Rust’s attempt. Matt Duchene, who missed 24 games, could not convert his chance and neither could Sidney Crosby on the other end.
Mikko Rantanen lined up next, and as chants of “Moooose,” filled the arena, the forward shot the puck past Jarry. Letang had a chance to match that goal, but Oettinger stonewalled him. The Stars recorded another win, despite the uphill battle it took to get there.
“You don’t remember these games in a couple of weeks,” Rantanen said. ” You just remember the two points. So, we’ll take it.”
Dallas will travel to Winnipeg on Tuesday to take on the Jets at 7 p.m. CT.
Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman who owned two pro sports franchises in the Dallas area, as well as an English Premier League soccer team, died Saturday, Dec. 6, at the age of 79.
Hicks died peacefully in Dallas, surrounded by family, a spokesperson said in a press release on Sunday.
As the owner of MLB’s Texas Rangers, Hicks signed shortstop Alex Rodriguez to what was then the largest contract in baseball history − a 10-year, $252 million deal at the 2000 Winter Meetings − one that wouldn’t be surpassed until Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million pact with the Miami Marlins 15 years later.
Hicks owned the Rangers from 1998 to 2010 as they won three division titles and appeared in the 2010 World Series.
Three years earlier, Hicks purchased the Dallas Stars of the NHL, owning them from 1995 to 2011 and winning a Stanley Cup in 1999.
“Our franchise would not be in the position we are today without the ownership of Mr. Hicks,” the team said in a statement. “His legacy will be honored by our franchise for decades to come.”
Hicks expanded his sports empire into the world of seccer in 2007, when he acquired a 50% stake in Liverpool of the EPL.
He also served on the University of Texas’s board of regents from 1994 to 1999.
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