On Monday, March 18, and Wednesday March 20, the Garland Unit of the NAACP held a celebration at the Curtis Culwell Convention Center to honor recipients of the annual Goldie Locke EXCEL Awards. Monday’s event honored elementary students, and Wednesday’s event honored middle school students.
Dr. Joyce E. Kyle Miller, who is the education chair for the Garland Branch of the NAACP, served as emcee. President of the Garland branch, Ricky McNeal, retired educator Shurandia Holden and GISD Superintendent Dr. Ricardo Lopez introduced the elementary school honorees. McNeal, Lopez and Dr. Adrian Leday, principal of South Garland High School introduced the middle school honorees.
The Garland NAACP is grateful to President Ricky McNeal for his tireless work for the organization and Dr. Joyce K. Miller, who chaired the awards event. They would also like to thank event sponsors Chase Bank, Guaranty Bank, Herb and Kelly Buford – Infinity-AP and Garland Student Services.
About Goldie Locke:
The list of accomplishments of Ms. Goldie Locke, who passed away in 2008, is extensive and impressive.
She was a charter member and founding president of the NAACP Garland Unit. During her presidency, the branch filed to intervene in the desegregation of Garland Independent School District with Attorney Edward Cloutman. Garland ISD is still governed by the desegregation plans of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 1970 Civil Court Order and the 1987 Civil Court Action. The academies of Garland (Hillside, Kimberlin and others) were established because of the court orders. Although all schools were affected, Kimberlin Academy is an excellent example of educational improvements which occurred because of the effort of Goldie Locke and other Garland pioneers and leaders.
Locke created the Garland ISD’s NAACP EXCEL awards to reach out to the middle school youth who were not receiving recognition for their efforts to do their best. A formal recognition program was instituted because of this “idea.”
Until her death, Locke served as a member of the Multi-Ethnic Committee initiated by the desegregation Court Order. To support the need for the EXCEL Awards Program, she viewed data which proved that the dropout rate for African American students was higher in middle schools than for other students. After her death, the Garland NAACP renamed this program the “Goldie Locke EXCEL Awards.”
Because of the efforts of Annie Dickson, Dale Long and Dorothy Brooks, there is a community meeting room named in honor of Goldie Locke located in downtown Garland.
During the 1970s, Locke led the fight to change Garland from at large to single member council districts. This made it possible for all citizens to have equal representation. Her life and legacy live on in the lives of the children and youth recognized by the Goldie Locke EXCEL Awards.
Award recipients:
