DALLAS  — A legend of the North Texas law field is the first to have a statue in downtown Dallas.

If you’ve ever been to Dallas and been to Main Street Garden, you may have come across a statue of a woman, but you may not realize the everlasting impact that this woman, Adelfa Callejo, made on Dallas and Texas, and how she continues to break barriers even after death.

“There she is with President Biden. There she is with President Carter,” said her nephew John David Gonzalez, referring to pictures of his aunt, legendary Latina lawyer Adelfa Callejo. 

Anyone whoever met Callejo will tell you she was a force to be reckoned with. Her nephew knows firsthand.

“She took the city of Dallas and the Anglo leadership, and turned it upside down, and these men in the '60s and '70s didn’t know how to handle that,” said Gonzalez, reminiscing on the power of his aunt.

Callejo was the first Latina to graduate from the Dedman School of Law in 1961 and became the first Latina lawyer to open her own law firm in Dallas.

“Adelfa was always a trailblazer on various platforms when she first started her career, her legal career and her political career,” said Gonzalez.

In 2014, Callejo died at age 90. She practiced law until she was 88. Now, eight years later, she is still breaking barriers.

“She will be the first Latina that we are aware of in North Texas, and I think possibly Dallas County that will have a statute in her honor or the honor of a Latina,” said Gonzalez.

Callejo was at the front lines fighting for civil rights in Dallas. She stressed the importance of education and encouraged Latinos to go to law school.

“When you have a law degree, you’re carrying a nuclear bomb into a fight, not a knife, not a gun, a nuclear bomb. Knowledge is power. You can never lose having a law degree, even if you don’t practice, because of the training that you’re going to receive the training that law students will receive,” said Gonzalez.

Callejo was known as the “Madrina” or the godmother of the community. J.D. recalls one family approaching him after her death. They shared they had built an altar for Callejo after she helped them when their landlord tried to scam them.

There are many stories similar to this one J.D. says. He hopes the next generation continues to learn about those that paved the way for them.