Beyond the Accommodation: Real Talk with Jim Schutze and Rev. Peter Johnson

This event is the first time Jim Schutze and Rev. Peter Johnson will appear together on a public stage. The discussion will be moderated by Cheryl Smith, Publisher and Executive Director of I Messenger Media News Group (photo below). This conversation will be a frank, real, raw and honest presentation about Dallas' Civil Rights history. It will examine how race, class, politics and power shaped Dallas' past, present and the 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.

The Accommodation: The Politics of Race in an American City, written by veteran Dallas political journalist Jim Schutze, details the voilent and suppressed history of race and racism in Dallas from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement, and the city's desegragation efforts in the 1950s and 60s. Know for being an uninhibited and honest account of the city's institutional and structural racism, Schutze's book argues that Dallas' desegregation period stewarded by white Dallas leaders came a a great cost to Black leaders in the city. Recently the book has been called "The Most Dangerous Book in Dallas" by Peter Simek of D Magazine and "essential reading to understand Dallas" by Tim Diovanni, Dallas Morning News.

The Accommodation is the powerful, long-repressed classic of Dallas history that examines the violent and suppressed history of race and racism in the city. Written by longtime Dallas political journalist Jim Schutze, formerly of the Dallas Times Herald and Dallas Observer, and currently columnist at D Magazine, The Accommodation follows the story of Dallas from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement, and the city’s desegregation efforts in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Known for being an uninhibited and honest account of the city’s institutional and structural racism, Schutze’s book argues that Dallas’ desegregation period came at a great cost to Black leaders in the city. Now, after decades out of print and hand-circulated underground, Schutze’s book serves as a reminder of what an American city will do to protect the white status quo.

Reverend Peter Johnson is a prominent civil rights leader whose history of activism in Dallas spans over five decades. Johnson participated in a variety of other civil rights protests across the South, including campaigns in Birmingham, Selma, and the March on Washington. In addition to his activism as a student, Johnson went on to work for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Atlanta, where he joined civil rights leaders like Andrew Young, Bernard Lafayette, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1969, Johnson moved to Dallas on a temporary assignment for the SCLC but chose to stay and work with the city’s low-income residents. 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. Connecting the city’s anti-apartheid protests to civil rights activism, Johnson describes these movements as an interconnected battle for human dignity. 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.

We would like to thank the following for their generous donations that made this event possible:

St. Paul United Methodist Church Social Justice Ministry

First United Methodist Church

The North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church

Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

The Thanks-Giving Foundation

Chocolate Secrets

First United Bank and Trust

Peter Johnson Institute for Non-Violence

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

1816 Routh St, 1816 Routh Street, Dallas, United States