One of Sturns\u2019 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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 \u201cUnlocked Voices: Bridging the Future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The film details the historical influence of Sturns, Opal Lee<\/a>, Lorraine C. Miller<\/a>, Mattie Peterson Compton<\/a>, Rev. Floyd Moody<\/a>, Norma Roby<\/a>, Estella Williams<\/a> and Judge L. Clifford Davis<\/a>, who died at 100 in February.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sturns said he was \u201cabsolutely surprised\u201d to be highlighted because he thought the interviews were only for archival purposes, but he was happy with the end result.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo have it memorialized in a film, it\u2019s a great honor and really something I\u2019ve enjoyed having my family to witness,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What did each local civil rights icon in the film accomplish?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. She died at 82 in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Commissioner Bagsby passed away, it was one of those things of \u2018wish we could have had an interview with her,\u2019\u201d Moorman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Area NAACP leaders plan to share the film as an educational tool for schools and libraries seeking to teach about local Black history.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of people who just don\u2019t know the history and don\u2019t realize these icons have been walking around with us from day to day,\u201d Moorman said. \u201cNone of them are folks that have shouted from the rafters, but they just did the work and kept moving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sturns hopes the film inspires young people to reach their personal goals through self-discipline and determination.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see that several of us came from fairly humble backgrounds, and now we managed to achieve a certain level of success,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can do what you choose once you set your mind to it and have that desire.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Disclosure: The Sid W. Richardson Foundation is a financial supporter<\/a> 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n\n
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