Overview:
Marilyn Clark, a legend and master archivist, educator, community historian, activist, and fierce South Dallas advocate, is working to preserve Black history in Texas. Clark is the Founding Director of Black Cinematheque, which was a dynamic film series that ran from 1988 to around 2010, showcasing independent films by filmmakers from the African Diaspora. She is also the creator of the Dallas Black Power Legacy Project Collection at the Dallas Public Library, which focuses on the era of the Black Power and Black Consciousness movements. Clark is currently working on archiving the work and legacy of Honorable Diane Ragsdale.
As Women’s History Month 2025 closes, Black women in cities across the United States are hyper aware of the federal government’s efforts to erase their historical contributions. In Texas, the efforts to remove Black people, specifically Black women, from the documented record have been underway for some time. With the State of Texas leading the way (with Florida) in banning books from institutions, while simultaneously having the largest Black population of any U.S. state, the preservation of Black History in Texas is more imperative than ever before. Fortunately, in Dallas, Texas, we have the work of Marilyn Clark.
I admire how the Oxford Languages defines the word “legend.” “An extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field.” Marilyn Clark is a legend, and a master archivist, educator, community historian, activist, and fierce South Dallas advocate.
I met Ms. Marilyn Clark near the end of her tenure as Education and Outreach Coordinator of the South Dallas Cultural Center. I visited her at her office to talk about her archival work. However, before she would discuss her work with me, she vetted me! I had to share where I was from and who my people are. (If you know, you know.) Only after I divulged who I learned from did Ms. Clark decide to discuss her life’s work.
Meeting a Legend
This rigor and ethic was refreshing and familiar to me. I disclosed that I was educated at the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies. And educated by preeminent African-centered scholars such as my late mentor Dr. Anderson Thompson. Dr. Thompson was one of the creators of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations. Once Ms. Clark was assured of my worldview and core values; she opened up to me. Telling me exciting profanity-laced stories of her life growing up in East Texas and lore about South Dallas activism.
Ms. Clark also entrusted me with a precious, out-of-print archival resource I had never seen before. Namely, a stack of Freedman’s Town Workbooks printed in the 1990’s for Dallas ISD students. I immediately recognized the rarity and importance of this workbook, and I inquired more about her archival practice.
Defining an Archivist
Marilyn Clark is also a collector. Some collectors are often misunderstood as packrats. Yet, when they are knowledgeable and focused, they hold the evidence of our existence on this planet. Ms. Clark told me that day at the South Dallas Cultural Center that she wanted to be an archivist. Specifically, to focus on preserving and sharing the history of South Dallas. I immediately offered her an opportunity to work at my organization.
It took years to convince her! She eventually became the inaugural Elder-In-Residence at Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. There she is responsible for “guiding efforts to identify and rescue the cultural history of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. [By] preserving, documenting, archiving and recording community narratives.”
Black Cinematheque
She promptly began organizing and preserving items from her own Black Cinematheque Dallas Archive. This impressive collection features film festival flyers, film series programs, and various event documents. Black Cinematheque, a creation of Clark’s own design, showcased independent films by filmmakers from the African Diaspora. This dynamic film series ran from 1988 to around 2010 at various locations across Dallas. In addition to monthly screenings at the South Dallas Cultural Center, films were also shown at venues such as The Inwood, Black Forest Theatre (Forest Theater), The Magnolia, The Majestic, Third Eye Ginna, The African American Museum of Dallas, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Eban Village apartment complex, among others.
Beyond film screenings, Black Cinematheque fostered community engagement through panel discussions, African dance performances, marketplaces, filmmaker talkbacks, photography exhibitions, and spoken word performances, creating an immersive cultural and educational experience. During its impressive run, Black Cinematheque screened over 300 films, with each screening averaging 60-70 people in attendance.
Marilyn Clark, also the Founding Director of Black Cinematheque, describes the organization’s purpose as follows. “To empower artistic self-expression within the social and political context, inform young people about their radical traditions, and connect filmmakers with activists, working people, and artists currently engaged in progressive social change.”
Vicki Meek, legendary artist and longtime Director of the South Dallas Cultural Center, affirmed the effort’s importance. “Hands down, Black Cinematheque was the most important film organization for the screening of African diasporic filmmakers in the Southwest. Ms. Clark curated some of the most memorable film festivals I’ve ever been involved with. I was honored to provide a home for her work for a while. I’m not sure what I enjoyed more, the films or the lively post screening community discussions!”
Dallas Black Power Legacy Project
Marilyn Clark is also one of the creators of the Dallas Black Power Legacy Project at the Dallas Public Library. The Project features artifacts from Black Power and Black consciousness movements in Dallas. Collections includes the Al & Lovie Lipscomb Collection and the Fahim Minkah Collection.
According to the Texas Archival Resources Online, “The Dallas Black Power Legacy Project focuses on the era of the Black Power and Black Consciousness movements (roughly 1965-1975). Spontaneous acts of resistance to racism, war, and other injustices coalesced into formal organizations, including the Dallas chapters of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); Black Panther Party; Black Women’s United Front (BWUF); Black Citizens for Justice, Law, and Order (BCJLO); the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); and Uhuru. Related organizations included Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); the Brown Berets; and Bois d’Arc Patriots.” Ms Clark encourages interested serious researchers to explore the Project at the Dallas History & Archives division of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Downtown Dallas.
Saving History: Taking the Baton
Marilyn Clark with her friend and colleague, the Honorable Diane Ragsdale, are dedicated to preserving history. Specifically, the history of Black women’s activism in South Dallas. The pair recently completed a series of presentations, lectures and community conversions about several notable figures. The list includes Ruth Jefferson and the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO), Juanita Craft and the NAACP Youth Councils, Elsie Faye Heggins, Kathlyn Gilliam, SCLC, Operation Bread Basket, SNCC, Black Women’s United Front, People United for Justice for Prisoners, South Dallas Information Center, the Black Panther Party and the Frederick Douglass Voting Council.
If that isn’t enough, Ms. Clark is currently working on archiving the work and legacy of Hon. Diane Ragsdale! The only question left is:
Who will continue her legacy of archiving the lives and work of Black women from South Dallas?
