As part of its “Texas Trailblazer” series, North Texas public television station KERA-TV will feature two veteran Texas attorneys, Harold Barefoot Sanders and Louise Raggio, and journalist Vivian Castleberry. All three Texans were chosen for their active role in and impact on civil rights and women’s rights not only in Texas, but also the country.
Harold Barefoot Sanders (pictured) was a force behind desegregating the public schools in Dallas. He was Assistant Deputy Attorney General in the Justice Department under President Lyndon Johnson, and he helped pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that ended discriminatory voting practices. Sanders went on to influence public policy and became a federal judge, serving for 27 years.
Louise Raggio was a role model for the women of Texas in the mid century. After World War II, she went to law school to help support her family. She helped to secure women’s rights in Texas, leading the effort to pass the Marital Property Act of 1967. She continued to help pave the way for more rights for women, including equal property rights and individual rights for both married and unmarried women.
Vivian Castleberry helped change the face of journalism by changing the subject matter covered by the Dallas Times-Herald, focusing more on humanitarian issues than on entertainment. She was the first female editor of the Times-Herald in 1957, and she founded Peacemakers Incorporated and co-founded the Women’s Center of Dallas and The Dallas Women’s Foundation. She was also inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1984.
The “Texas Trailblazer” series is in three-parts and airs on Sundays, May 3, 10, and 18, at 8:00 p.m. and rebroadcasts the following Sundays at 12:30 p.m. All three parts will be rebroadcast beginning at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, May 24 on KERA-TV. The series will also be available online after the broadcasts at kera.org/trailblazer.