One Riot, One Ranger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids One Riot, One Ranger |
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| Year | 1961 |
| Medium | Bronze sculpture |
| Dimensions | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
| Location | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
One Riot, One Ranger is a large bronze statue of a Texas Ranger. It was placed at Dallas Love Field airport from 1961 to 2020. The statue's name comes from a famous story about a Ranger captain named Bill McDonald. In the early 1900s, he supposedly broke up an illegal boxing match all by himself in Texas.
About the Statue and Its Story
This statue is 12 feet tall. It was made by a Texas artist named Waldine Amanda Tauch. A rich restaurant owner, Earle Wyatt, and his wife gave it to the city of Dallas in 1961. It was put up at Dallas Love Field airport on April 30, 1961.
Even though the statue's name refers to the old story about Bill McDonald, the statue itself looks like Jay Banks. Jay Banks was a captain of the Texas Rangers in the 1950s.
In 2010, the statue was moved. This happened because the airport was being updated. It was placed at the nearby Frontiers of Flight Museum. The statue was put back in the airport's main lobby on March 12, 2013.
Why the Statue Was Removed
On June 4, 2020, the statue was taken down. This happened after a book called Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers was published. The book talked about Jay Banks' actions in the 1950s.
The book explained that Jay Banks worked to keep schools in Texas separated by race. This went against a very important rule from the United States Supreme Court. In 1954, the Supreme Court said that public schools must be integrated. This meant students of all races should go to school together. This decision was called Brown v. Board of Education.
In 1956, Banks was in charge of a Texas Ranger group. They were sent to stop African American students from going to Mansfield High School and Texarkana Junior College. The governor at the time, Allan Shivers, was against schools being integrated. He had even created a committee to find ways to keep schools separated.
At both schools, groups of white people gathered. They tried to stop black students from entering. Banks felt that these groups were just "salt-of-the-earth citizens." He believed they were upset because they thought someone was trying to change their way of life.
At Texarkana Junior College, about 300 people blocked two black students. Some people kicked a male student. Others threw small rocks. The Texas Rangers did not help the black students. Instead, they threatened to arrest the black students. This was because of the governor's orders.
Banks was at the Texarkana College event. He said his orders were to keep order and prevent violence. He also said they would not take part in the integration dispute. He stated they would not help anyone enter or leave the college. A local group called the Citizens' Councils even gave Banks a special dinner.
The city of Dallas is currently storing the statue. Its future is still being decided.
See also
- Confederate War Memorial (Dallas) – another monument removed the same month
- List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests
