The Good Samaritan @ The Baker Estate

Equity Statement

The Good Samaritan @ The Baker Estate facilitates programs that promote the principles on which the City of Dallas was established, and of which the hospital’s moniker represents – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity.

Diversity:

Accompanied by a bear dog and his Indian guide Ned, pioneer John Neely Bryan wondered upon the meandering Trinity River in 1839. Two years later at that river, Bryan established his settlement, which was the start of the city known today as Dallas.

Diversity and Inclusivity:

When the Leland Avenue structure became the Good Samaritan Hospital (1920), the operation under the directorship of German immigrant Martha Schultze was predominantly a birthing clinic for a Jewish population of unwed mothers who were, in the first half of the twentieth century, demonized and criminalized by society. In anonymity, these women lived on site until their babies were born and adopted. While much of the world was in the throes of bitter and unequivocal anti-Semitism, this German and Jewish connection continued until 1945.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity:

In 1951, a ‘For Sale’ sign was posted on the hospital’s property; Good Samaritan was purchased by James and Bertha Baker, an African American couple who recognized Dallas’ failure to support clean and safe living opportunities for marginalized people. South Dallas was a segregated community under attack. To maintain racial separation, bombings and burnings of black-owned homes and businesses were the norm. Undeterred by the violence – and the next-door neighbor who was identified as the lead bomber – the Bakers purchased the structure and converted it to The Baker Residential Hotel, Dallas’ first-licensed facility for African Americans.

Since Dallas’ inception – though some narratives are not well known – the city’s history includes stories of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Good Samaritan’s purpose in the twenty-first century is to follow such values that were first established by Bryan with his Indian guide Ned at the river in 1839. Restoring this structure, which contributes to community improvement, allows Samaritan to stand tall as a hallmark of the value in historical preservation. During the revitalization, Samaritan will continue supporting programs that feed and clothe the underserved community, and Samaritan will continue the annual “James Lynn Baker, II ‘Be a Coffee Bean’ Scholarship” – sponsored by author Damon West. This award is given each year to a high school graduate from an underserved community. Following revitalization, workshops and conferences in the Arts, Culture, and Humanities that are coordinated with school leadership and curricula will be developed to enrich educational experiences for young people and youth from across the city.

Dallas’ legacy becomes richer and more authentic when communities work in harmony. This is the platform on which The Good Samaritan @ The Baker Estate supports.