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 theDallas Times HeraldandDallas Observer, and currently columnist atD Magazine,The Accommodationfollows 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.
About the Author :
Jim Schutze is an acclaimed journalist and author. A longtime political journalist at the Dallas Times Herald and the Dallas Observer, and former Dallas bureau chief of the Houston Chronicle, Schutze currently is a columnist at D Magazine. He has earned many honors for his writing, winning the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies' national award for best commentary twice and Lincoln University's national Unity Award for writing on civil rights and racial issues three times. Two of his books were finalists for the national Edgar Allen Poe award for crime writing. In 2011, Schutze was admitted to the Texas Institute of Letters in recognition of his career as a journalist and author.
John Wiley Price is the ranking member of the Dallas County Commissioner's Court. The first African American elected to the court, Price has served as Dallas County commissioner for District 3 since 1985. In addition to his political service, Price founded KwanzaaFest, the largest community cultural event in Texas, in 1991.
Review :
“One chapter of Texas’ civil rights legacy is opening back up. A long-suppressed book about politics and race in Dallas is growing in popularity… The resurgence of The Accommodation is so important to so many.” –CBS This Morning Saturday
“An essential gift delivered almost four decades before Dallas was ready to receive it.” –John Wiley Price, Dallas County Commissioner
“The Accommodation is one of the first major works about the history of race and racism in Dallas, and its importance to the counter narrative of ‘Dallas as a great city for all’ can’t be understated… The telling of a Black story by a white author deserves continued critique and interrogation, however with The Accommodation, Jim Schutze delivered a must-read treatise about racism in Dallas that was both eye-opening and prophetic.” – Jerry Hawkins, Executive Director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
“A 199-page book published in 1987 has again caught our eyes… Viewing the long out-of-print text as vital reading to understand the city, some Dallas residents have shared the book amongs themselves digitally and in bootleg form for decades.” –Tim Diovanni, Dallas Morning News
“A masterpiece of history and insight. The author was decades ahead of his time, and his work is worthy of accolades.” –Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News
“One of the most sought after reads on how racism shaped this American city… The book [takes] a critical view of both the white and the Black leaders, painting both sides as being complicit in laying the groundwork for how race relations the divisions in the city would play out in Dallas for decades to come.” –Sabra Ayres, Spectrum
“Notorious to this day.” –Jeneta Nwosu, HPHS Media
"A classic, unsparing account of racial politics and white supremacy in Dallas. This outstanding book was first published in 1986 by the Citadel Press of Secaucus, New Jersey, after its original publisher, Taylor Publishing Company of Dallas, dropped the book under intense pressure from the city’s establishment. Reading the book, you’ll see why: Schutze delivers a damning narrative of racial power politics in Dallas from the city’s beginnings to the 1980s, with particular emphasis on the fire bombings and expropriation of black-owned property in the 1950s. Now reissued by Deep Vellum, this suppressed, hard-to-find classic will hopefully now find the wider audience it justly deserves." —Ben Fountain
