The Amon Carter鈥檚 exhibition, Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation showcases how contemporary Black artists are reclaiming the narrative around slavery and liberation in Black history. But it isn鈥檛 the only project in Fort Worth exploring the idea of reclaiming history. Local arts, service and historical organizations are working to reframe the conversation about Fort Worth鈥檚 history.
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Since the 鈥�70s, the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society has been working to recognize Black history and culture in Fort Worth. Executive director Brenda Sanders-Wise said the organization was created in 1977 by Lenora Butler Rolla, a Black community leader, journalist and entrepreneur.
鈥淢rs. Rolla began her stint with museums at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History as a docent,鈥� Sanders-Wise said. 鈥淪he couldn鈥檛 find any history of Blacks in universities, in the museums so that鈥檚 why she started collecting.鈥�
Located in the Historic Southside, the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society鈥檚 Lenora Rolla Heritage Center and Museum has been an educational and cultural space for Fort Worth communities for many years.
鈥淥ur history is invaluable, and when people come to visit us, they are amazed by what we have,鈥� Sanders-Wise said.
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Eight local organizations are working together as Transform 1012 N. Main Street to reclaim the former Texas headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan and transform it into The Fred Rouse Center for Arts and Community Healing.
Daniel Banks and Adam W. McKinney, co-founders of the arts and service organization DNAWORKS, helped convene the coalition. McKinney said it鈥檚 a way for Fort Worth to enact change like other cities including Montgomery, Ala. with the Legacy Museum, and Washington D.C. with the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
鈥淭here is an opportunity to build upon the resources that we have available to us, to remember and simultaneously to take responsibility for what has happened,鈥� McKinney said.
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Letitia Huckaby is one of the seven artists who were invited to participate in The Carter鈥檚 鈥淓mancipation鈥� exhibition but she also co-founded a collaborative project space Kinfolk House in Fort Worth that focuses on community and art.
鈥淚 believe that the best way to deal with the past is to not forget it and share it,鈥� Huckaby said.
In the past, Kinfolk House has hosted projects like , which featured a selection of sculptural works that explored how home and land say something larger about people and families.
Upcoming Projects:
will be a 50,000-square-foot cultural center in Fort Worth鈥檚 Historic Southside neighborhood. The museum, which is expected to open in 2025, will reflect on the significance of the day in 1865 when slaves in Texas received news that they had been freed.
It will include 10,000 square feet of immersive exhibition galleries, 250-seat theater, a business incubator and food hall.
The Fort Worth African American Museum and Cultural Center is still in the initial planning stages. The project intends to recognize and preserve African American heritage in Fort Worth. Organizers are working with community groups and experts to finalize a location and assess feasibility.
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