Austin News

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has issued a statement following the formal establishment of the Blackwell School in Marfa, Texas, as part of the National Park System by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. The school was designated a National Historic Site through the passage of Sen. Cornyn’s Blackwell School National Historic Site Act.

“For decades, young Texans of Latino descent were forced to receive a segregated education from their white peers at the Blackwell School in Marfa, Texas, which still stands today as a symbol of how far our nation has come,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I am proud to see the Blackwell School finally established as a National Park after years of hard work with my Congressional colleagues, which will allow all Americans to learn from our past and honor the progress we have made as a nation.”

Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) led this bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

From 1909 to 1965, the Blackwell School served as the only school for children of Mexican descent in Marfa, Texas. In 2019, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and met qualifications to become a National Historic Site. Sen. Cornyn introduced the bipartisan Blackwell School National Historic Site Act in 2021 with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) to establish it as one of the few national park sites specifically designated to commemorate Latino history and culture in the United States; it was signed into law in 2022.