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The West Irving Improvement Association (WIIA) was established in 1964 to work toward an improved community and stronger educational opportunities. From its beginnings, the Association has been fully independent, unaffiliated with other organizations, though it received early assistance from the Irving Human Relations Council. In its earliest years, WIIA purchased a three-acre plot of land with a small metal building once used by the Bethlehem Center as a half-day kindergarten. With contributions from community members, WIIA envisioned creating a community center and relaunching the kindergarten program. This dream became reality in September 1967, when WIIA opened its own kindergarten. Although the Association briefly discontinued operations in 1966, many members regrouped and rejoined, ensuring that the work continued.

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In the wake of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Irving Independent School District announced that Black children could transfer to previously all-white schools if parents provided transportation. WIIA members met with parents in the community and explained the opportunities available. Despite fear of racial hostility and doubts about competing academically, fifty-four children transferred in the fall of 1965, some from Bear Creek and others from the Ledbetter section of West Dallas. To support these students, WIIA organized tutoring programs with help from Southern Methodist University faculty, students, Irving volunteers, and the Dallas YMCA. That same summer, WIIA sponsored Operation Head Start for forty-five children—despite only receiving a federal grant for thirty. With volunteer administrators and hired teachers, the program flourished, even though it was limited in length.

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When WIIA purchased land, its purpose was clear: to create a center dedicated to child and youth education and recreation, adult education, community health and legal services, and to provide a common meeting place for community action. Though funds were limited, the kindergarten program was prioritized as the first initiative. Later, in 1972, the Irving Independent School District donated two frame buildings from Barton Elementary School to WIIA, strengthening its physical presence as a community hub.

The educational legacy of Bear Creek itself stretches back to the late 1800s, when Jim Green, an early landowner, donated property for a school beside Shady Grove CME Church. Known as Sowers Colored School #2, it became part of the Sowers Common School District. The school’s first teachers included Mrs. J.O. Davis, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Moore, and Mrs. Holmes. Students attended grades one through eight locally, while high school students traveled to Booker T. Washington Technical School in Dallas. When the original schoolhouse burned in 1949, the community raised funds for new land, while Bob Stewart donated an additional acre. Three small army barracks were moved to the site, forming the foundation of what became the J.O. Davis School.

By the mid-1950s, the barracks were replaced with a brick building, finally including a lunchroom. In 1955, the Irving Independent School District absorbed the Sowers District, keeping grades one through seven in Bear Creek while sending older students to Ledbetter Junior High and Dalworth High School. In 1960, a major addition transformed the school into a full grades one through twelve facility, officially named J.O. Davis School. Its opening was marked by Irving’s first all-Black parade downtown. Integration followed soon after: in 1966, grades seven through twelve were integrated into Irving schools, and by 1968–69, elementary grades were integrated as well, leading to the closing of J.O. Davis School. For years, the building housed special education and vocational programs until it was reopened in 1990 as an elementary school, continuing its legacy of education in Bear Creek.

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The West Irving Improvement Association and the schools of Bear Creek stand as powerful reminders of resilience, education, and community advocacy. They represent a community’s determination to overcome barriers, provide opportunities, and create spaces of unity and growth. As Rep. John Lewis once said: “Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”