Statue of civil rights leader and lawyer Adelfa Callejo finally has a home in a downtown Dallas park - The Dallas Morning News

A bronze statue of Mexican-American civil rights lawyer Adelfa Callejo has finally found a home in a park in downtown Dallas, a city with few public art homages to Latinos or women.

The likeness of Callejo shows her smiling and carrying a book, wearing a suit with her trademark boutonniere and her thick hair in a large bun.

The 1,000-pound statue, placed on a park pedestal last week, faces the Dallas College of Law of the University of North Texas at the corner of Main and Harwood streets. UNT honored Callejo in 2018 as a “Texas Legal Legend.” She graduated from the law school at Southern Methodist University in 1961.

Callejo died in 2014 from brain cancer at 90 years of age. She challenged discriminatory education, immigration and political redistricting policies throughout her career.

The statue was completed more than six years ago by Mexican artist Germán Michel through a commission paid for by private donations. A permanent location for the statue had been in limbo after the Dallas City Council in November 2019 postponed formal acceptance of the gift while about two dozen locations for it were explored. It was once destined for Dallas Love Field, but that plan was tabled by then-Councilman Adam Medrano whose district includes the airport.

A ceremony marking the placement of the statue has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. A city official said it may now be held in October.

A bronze statue of Mexican-American civil rights leader Adelfa Callejo stands in Main Street Garden Park on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in Dallas. (Elias Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

As a 9-year-old girl, one of her first acts of activism was to translate for her immigrant father during a protest over the mistreatment of children of Mexican descent. Little Adelfa marched along with her father and other Mexican immigrant families to complain to the school superintendent at his ranch.

“In my family, it was un-American to not protest,” Callejo said in a 2006 address to tens of thousands at a Dallas march against federal immigration policies.

Now that the statue is up at the park many say they fully approve.

“Having her positioned to look at the law school is a charge to our law students to … never forget that the law degree is about service,” said Cheryl Wattley, a UNT law school professor and author of a book on civil rights and education.

The statue is a reminder “of the power of the individual. Anyone can become someone’s hero,” said the law school professor.

Adelfa Callejo made her impact without a conventional platform. She was not an appointed federal judge like now deceased Sarah T. Hughes or elected like Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a former U.S. senator from Texas, Wattley said.

“They had titles that gave them a platform. Adelfa made her platform,” said the law school professor.

J.D. Gonzales, the Dallas nephew of Callejo and executor of her estate, said he loves the statue’s placement in a downtown park.

“I am overjoyed to see someone with such an extraordinary history to finally be paid tribute for what she did not just for Hispanics, but for women and all citizens,” said Gonzales.

Gonzales said in the last three years he’s received many calls from people who wish that Callejo was still alive to plow into public controversies, like immigration, policing and violence against Asian-Americans.

“That really highlights and underscores what she did when she was here. She was a mover and got things done,” he said.

Rudy Karimi, an incoming member of the Dallas Parks and Recreation Board, praised the statue for its ability to inspire others with Callejo’s story.

“This statue sends a message that we embrace and celebrate the diversity of our city and our Hispanic community,” said Karimi, who will represent the district that includes Main Street Garden.

There are a few public sculptures that honor men of Mexican ancestry in the city, including Patrick Zamarripa, one of five law enforcement officers slain in a brutal shooting on July 7, 2016 in downtown Dallas. A sculpture of Santos Rodriguez, a 12-year-old boy murdered by a Dallas police officer in 1973, is expected to be dedicated later this year.

But Kay Kallos, public art program manager for the City of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture, said the Callejo statue is the first to pay tribute to a specific woman by the City of Dallas.

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https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/08/27/a-statue-of-civil-rights-leader-and-lawyer-adelfa-callejo-finds-a-home-in-a-downtown-park-finally/

2021-08-27 21:11:15Z
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