MARFA, Texas —
The Blackwell School is a former de facto segregated school for Mexican-American children that operated in Marfa as early as 1909.
As of July 17, the Biden-Harris Administration established Blackwell School as the country's newest National Park, #430 to be exact.
"The story of Blackwell is very complicated; it's got a long history that is very rich and in some other ways that is dark as some alumni will tell you," said Daniel Hernandez, the president of the Blackwell School Alliance. "Many students had really great experiences, while others didn't because of the lack of resources, the underfunding and the differential treatment that they received from the Texas public school system during this time."
According to Hernandez, Blackwell School served as the primary means of K-8 public education for Mexican-American children in Marfa. Alumni have shared memories of students receiving secondhand sports and band equipment, books and school materials.
"At one point in the history of Blackwell, Spanish was not allowed to be spoken on campus," said Hernandez.
The school is named after Principal Blackwell who helped establish Spanish speaking academic and educational competitions in the region.
At the height of its operation, Blackwell School served nearly 400 students and was at one point a multi-campus building, according to Hernandez.
The school shut down in 1965.
Decades later in 2006, Blackwell School was at risk of being demolished, until a group of alumni pushed to convert it into a museum. This group went on to become the Blackwell School Alliance.
"It was a community grassroots effort," Hernandez said. "The students and the alumni who attended the Blackwell School, with their own funds and funds that were raised in the community, created this living and breathing example of de facto segregation, and this really challenging time in American history."
Preservations of the school's history include original photographs from inside the classrooms, student pictures, Letterman jackets and sports and band uniforms. Alumni donated several artifacts to the Blackwell School Alliance and will soon be donated to the National Park Service, according to Hernandez.
Hernandez said this recognition gives the museum an opportunity for resources to interpret the site and its artifacts to help interpret the historical context setting around the significance of Blackwell School.
"We want to work really closely with the National Park Service to provide them with philanthropic support and to serve as a community connector with alumni, the market community and with other resources and folks who are interested in helping tell this story," said Hernandez.