Photography courtesy of the Bishop Arts Theatre.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center is collaborating with Making Black History Today to launch The State of Black Dallas, a quarterly civic conversation series, with the first forum scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27.

Growing out of Making Black History Today’s mission to document Black history as it’s being made, the series will convene community leaders, educators, historians, policymakers and residents to examine the issues that shape Black Dallas and preserve the conversations as part of the City’s living history. The inaugural forum, hosted at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center, will focus on Education & Equity.

The start of the series will explore the challenges and opportunities that face students, families and educators, along with examining how education shapes economic mobility, leadership and the future of Black communities, according to a press release.

“We created The State of Black Dallas because our community deserves more than occasional conversations,” said LaToya Porter, CEO and co-founder of Marking Black History Today, in a statement. “It deserves a place to come together every quarter, challenge ourselves to do better, and shape where we’re going. This is the beginning of a civic tradition documenting today’s conversations for tomorrow’s history.”

Rather than a panel discussion style, The State of Black Dallas is designed as a civic forum to address the challenges that both new and longstanding Black communities face in Dallas, turning the ideas shared into action for the next generation, according to a press release.

The Education & Equity forum will bring together five leaders from across North Texas:

  • Dr. Marvin Dulaney — Historian, Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas at Arlington
  • Dr. Tiffany Clark — Texas State Board of Education representative for District 13
  • Dr. Kimberly Riddick — Director of Student Leadership and Success at the University of North Texas at Dallas
  • Byron Sanders — Dallas ISD School Board Trustee for District 5
  • Liz Gates — Moderator; Co-Founder and Co-Host of Making Black History Today

The event will begin with a community networking hour at 5 p.m., and the main program starting at 6:15 p.m. An audience Q&A will follow. The State of Black Dallas — Forum I: Education & Equity is free and open to the public, with registration required.

Bishop Arts Theatre Center is located at 215 S. Tyler St.