DALLAS — Rick Halperin, the director of the human rights program at SMU, would ask the same question at the beginning of every school year. And that question was: Do you know about the murder of Santos Rodriguez in Dallas?
"Every semester out of class of 30 people, there might be one, two hands go up," said Halperin. In reality, the question was really an experiment on how little people know about the tragedy. But, what is even lesser-known is the connection that murder in the 70s had to Southern Methodist University.
Rodriguez was shot and killed by a Dallas police officer playing Russian Roulette.
"It was the worst crime in the history of Dallas possibly excluding the killing of President Kennedy," said Halperin.
Halperin and activists like Hadi Jawad secured an apology from Dallas for the Rodriguez family back in 2013.
"If you cannot reconcile with our past, you cannot move forward," said Jawad.
"It's a simple phrase to say, 'I'm sorry.' But it's among the hardest phrases to say," said Halperin.
It was important for human rights activists like Halperin to make sure people hadn't forgotten about Rodriguez. Both still remember the September day when Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas spoke for the city and apologized.
"It is a moment that will make the hair on your arms stand up," said Halperin.
"It was electric. We all jumped from our seats," said Jawad.
SMU would name a scholarship after Rodriguez, and any student studying human rights was eligible to apply. SMU is one of nine universities in the country to offer an undergraduate degree in human rights.
"The Santos Rodriguez Memorial Scholarship celebrates the life of this young boy by providing other young persons an opportunity that he never had – the opportunity for a college education," read a description for the Santos Rodriguez Memorial Endowed Scholarship.
Tyne Dickson was awarded the scholarship in 2021. The 23-year-old is now in Houston with a nonprofit called Restoring Justice, with hopes of ending mass incarceration.
She told WFAA she's spent many weekends with a megaphone in her hands fighting for justice on different fronts.
"I was really trying so hard to fight for black and brown bodies. [I have] the feeling of hopelessness but also the feeling of hope at the same time," said Dickson.
Dickson said she felt humbled to be awarded the scholarship. But she's also fully aware that so many people had failed Rodriguez to make this scholarship necessary.
"Diving into this work right out college, I feel like I've aged. Our collective dreams are attainable. They are real. And they matter," said Dickson
Halperin said the scholarship winner for the following fall will be announced shortly. He said they are always looking for a student who is a "fanatic about the full spectrum of human rights."
And the fight for human rights is an ongoing battle. Jawad and Halperin reminded WFAA just how hard it was to get the city to approve the wording on Rodriguez's plaque.
They said it took more than a year for Dallas to agree to the word "murder."
"We wanted to speak truth. That one word, murder," said Jawad.
"It's such an incendiary word," said Halperin.
Dickson is the next generation to carry the mantle fighting for human rights.
The world sought that before any scholarship did. Dallas has made strides. They agreed that the apology and the statue are first steps, not last steps.
Halperin said the program, the scholarship and their efforts are about fighting the most dangerous words in human rights: "I didn't know."
"They have a right to know the truth of this city," he said.