When Louis Sturns decided to pursue a career in law, he didn’t intend on making history.
Sturns simply wanted to be someone “who tried to do his job the best he could do it,” he said.
But, he cemented himself in the books when he became the first Black criminal court judge in Tarrant County in 1987. Three years later, he became the first Black judge to serve on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
One of Sturns’ most prominent cases was when he oversaw a court investigation into allegations of misconduct by a former prosecutor in Texas who wrongfully convicted an innocent man for murder in the late 1980s. The inquiry and subsequent criminal charges against the prosecutor served as a catalyst for the Michael Morton Act in 2013, which requires prosecutors to turn over all evidence in a case, according to the Texas Tribune.
Those achievements made such an impact that the Fort Worth/Tarrant County NAACP spotlighted Sturns as one of eight local civil rights activists in the newly commissioned documentary “Unlocked Voices: Bridging the Future.”
The film details the historical influence of Sturns, Opal Lee, Lorraine C. Miller, Mattie Peterson Compton, Rev. Floyd Moody, Norma Roby, Estella Williams and Judge L. Clifford Davis, who died at 100 in February.
The documentary debuted during the NAACP 48th Annual Dr. George D. Flemmings Freedom Fund Celebration Oct. 11 at I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA. The film was directed by Robert Eric Wise, in partnership with the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.
Sturns said he was “absolutely surprised” to be highlighted because he thought the interviews were only for archival purposes, but he was happy with the end result.
“To have it memorialized in a film, it’s a great honor and really something I’ve enjoyed having my family to witness,” he said.
What did each local civil rights icon in the film accomplish?
- Opal Lee led the national efforts of Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday in 2021. She is nicknamed “Grandmother of Juneteenth.”
- Lorraine Miller was the first Black American to be an officer of the U.S. House since its inception in 1789.
- Mattie Peterson Compton was the first Black American and woman to work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Fort Worth.
- The Rev. Floyd Moody was one of the “Mansfield 3” students who integrated Mansfield ISD schools in 1956.
- Norma Roby is a Black business pioneer who opened concession stands at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
- Estella Williams is the first and only woman to serve as president of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County NAACP branch in its 91-year history.
- Judge L. Clifford Davis played a vital role in desegregating schools within Mansfield and Fort Worth ISDs.
Fort Worth/Tarrant County NAACP officials felt it was the right time to document oral histories as many local civil rights leaders get older, said Blake Moorman, co-chairman of the 2025 Freedom Fund Celebration.
Moorman explained how the Fort Worth branch missed an opportunity to sit with Dionne Bagsby, who was the first woman and first Black American elected to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court in 1989. She died at 82 in 2019.
“When Commissioner Bagsby passed away, it was one of those things of ‘wish we could have had an interview with her,’” Moorman said.
Area NAACP leaders plan to share the film as an educational tool for schools and libraries seeking to teach about local Black history.
“There are a lot of people who just don’t know the history and don’t realize these icons have been walking around with us from day to day,” Moorman said. “None of them are folks that have shouted from the rafters, but they just did the work and kept moving.”
Sturns hopes the film inspires young people to reach their personal goals through self-discipline and determination.
“You’ll see that several of us came from fairly humble backgrounds, and now we managed to achieve a certain level of success,” he said. “You can do what you choose once you set your mind to it and have that desire.”
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
Disclosure: The Sid W. Richardson Foundation is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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