Stanley Marcus was a businessman who led local charge against racism
By: Vincent L. Hall
“There are people who are struggling because of the f”,, billionaires. I’m tired of people going to bed worried. The f’.. Billionaires, they need to be out down like rabid dogs!” – Comedian Bill Burr
Bill Burr is one of my favorites, but that was pretty harsh. Based on the mercurial popularity of Luigi Mangione, who trained his angst on an insurance executive, Burr’s comments mirror the majority of Americans.
In Dallas, we have a recent and local contrast to weigh with Burr’s comments.
Anyone who has been in the city for 20 years might have felt a little sad about the news that Neiman Marcus is about to be shuttered.
That Downtown/Flagship store means a lot to me. I learned a lot about rich and wealthy people.
I remember squirming for a few hours as a little boy forced to sit on the couch of a fine University Park home. The housewife there was cordial and generous to me.
She understood that my grandmother couldn’t clean and cook for her unless I came along. My mama had to work!
Later, after repeatedly making the A honor roll, our Junior High principal, Mr. Robert Brown, arranged a treat for us. All 30 scholars were dressed to the nines as we tucked our table linens into the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus.
“The tastefully swank restaurant and tearoom opened in 1953.” Most of our parents didn’t even know it existed.
These rich people seemed pretty classy. They were stuck up and arrogant, but their racism was more covert than overt. After all, they left the crass and unruly behavior to what Daddy called the “Cracker Class!”
These were the rich bastards who realized that their fortunes blossomed as segregation withered. Today’s super-rich are selfish and believe they are superior.
Later in life, Neiman Marcus became my standard for tailored suits, dress shoes, and sportswear.
Now, I can’t lie; my shopping at NM was limited to First Call and Last Call. “Fortnight” (Google it) was out of my budget and out of the question.
It was expensive, but NM was worth the difference. The sales staff was respectful, courteous, and proactive about my needs. The products were of the highest quality.
Finally, my research on the founder, Stanley Marcus, was favorable. He was one of the few Dallas Citizen Council members who was not hostile to Black people.
Stanley Marcus was a businessman who led the local charge against racism. He began hiring Black people in 1950 and became increasingly vocal in support of civil rights by 1960.
By 1968, Stanley Marcus, sporting the “billionaire status” of his day, announced that Neiman Marcus buyers would give preference to companies that employed and trained significant numbers of minority employees.
Hey, that sounds like DEI, and it was. Diversity made him all the richer. Somebody call Target and Wal-Mart and let them know!
Bill Burr’s comments are a foretelling of the variety and vigor of public scorn that will be visited upon the rich.
They are about to face some backlash, singularly and as a class.
Leon” Musk is the poster boy, but he will not be the only or last one to receive something far less than the Neiman Marcus treatment.
A long-time Texas Metro News columnist, Dallas native Vincent L. Hall is an author, writer, award-winning writer, and a lifelong Drapetomaniac.
