Our History
You can still see the remnants of Dallas’ racial history embedded in the neighborhoods of South Oak Cliff. The racially motivated bombings, white violence, redlining, and segregation that once plagued the area left scars that would impact generations to come.
Not only was the school plagued with mold and dangerous asbestos, it lacked the proper technology and educational materials needed to provide high quality instruction to its students.
This was the case even when Dominique had attended DISD years before. But change was coming: Arm in arm with Teah Mitchell, Lizzett Godinez, Landon Finley, and David Johnson, and senior student leaders at SOC high school, Minister Dominique Alexander worked to amplify their voices and he began the grueling process of bringing awareness to the egregious neglect that Dallas ISD had allowed.
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When Dominique Alexander, a student of Dallas ISD’s A. Maceo Smith High School graduated, he did so with an undeniable passion for changing the inequity embedded within his community. On December 7, 2015, Dominique, now a minister, entered a crumbling South Oak Cliff High School and helped enact the largest student walkout in Dallas ISD history.
Their hard work paid off. After weeks of walkouts, protests, and press appearances, Dallas ISD was forced to address the issue. At first trying to squash the movement, District Leadership brought in Maxie Johnson, father of senior leader David Johnson.
The hope was to persuade Maxie to put a stop to his son's actions, but the conversation had the opposite effect. Seeing the validity of his son’s cause, Maxie denied the school district request, instead increasing his involvement with NGAN by establishing the SOC Parent Coalition–a group crucial to gaining the community’s involvement and support.
Over time the movement, relentless in its work, wore down its objectors and solutions began to be discussed. At first, the school bond committee began to— albeit reluctantly—reallocate funds settling on a mere 13 million in renovations. This was a far cry from what was actually needed. Negotiations continued, slowly rising from 13 million to 25, from 25 to 40.
Eventually, our negotiations brought an additional 40 million to the project, giving South Oak Cliff High School students the 52 million dollars they deserved.
It was this experience that would inspire Minister Dominique Alexander to establish an education advocacy branch within the NGAN organization. In 2016, NGAN Excel was created.
Excel’s work would continue: demands for the creation of a racial equity group, the multi-million dollar renovations for Roosevelt, Carter, and Pinkston high schools through an equitable lien, and the election of Minister Dominique Alexander to Vice Chair of the 2020 Bond Advisory Committee—a 3.5 billion dollar bond—launched Dallas ISD into a new era.