After budgetary setbacks, leaders at Fort Worth鈥檚 long-standing Black history museum are restructuring to ensure its future.
Board members of the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society laid off the only full-time staff member Megan Coca and . The cuts came after losing more than $100,000 in federal grants and corporate donations at the start of the year, executive director Brenda Sanders-Wise said.
The society鈥檚 financial , with area nonprofits losing an estimated $127 million in support during the first half of 2025, according to a survey conducted by the North Texas Community Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas and The Dallas Foundation.
For nearly 50 years, the Historic Southside organization showcased the history of Black Americans in Tarrant County and spotlighted community leaders including neighborhood physician , jazz musician Ornette Coleman and the museum鈥檚 namesake , a longtime community advocate who worked to revitalize neighborhoods and preserve Black history in Fort Worth.
Board members declined to detail the museum鈥檚 budget but said they are 鈥渘ot in the red,鈥� thanks to donations.
鈥淲e really had no choice since our funding became very limited,鈥� Ronnie Hunter, the genealogical society鈥檚 board president, said. 鈥淲e had to make some hard decisions to keep our doors open and steer in a better direction.鈥�
The museum is now open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, down from Mondays through Fridays, until further notice. Guests can only visit other weekdays by appointment.
Coca, who had served as director of development and community outreach since 2021, was disheartened by the layoff as she enjoyed preserving local history. But she said she is grateful for her tenure with the society where she was able to plan programming, partner with local arts groups and organize the museum鈥檚 archives.
鈥淎s someone who was their first-ever full staff employee, I had an opportunity to go through boxes and collections that hadn鈥檛 been touched since the 1990s,鈥� Coca said. 鈥淭o be able to uncover those stories was a great joy, and I am so proud of the work I did there.鈥�
Reduced hours impact the number of visitors who come through the museum doors since most tend to drop by spontaneously, Sanders-Wise said. The museum had to turn away a large group recently since they didn鈥檛 have any staff to welcome them on an off day, she added.
鈥淣o one was here, so we鈥檙e losing visitors,鈥� Sanders-Wise said. 鈥淲e had a busload come and that doesn鈥檛 happen every month, it doesn鈥檛 happen every week. Those are the kind of groups that we need.鈥�
The Lenora Rolla museum averages roughly 120 visitors per month before the cuts, she said.
Hunter said the board aims to grow the museum鈥檚 community memberships and leverage fundraisers as its primary revenue source. The board also needs to bring more awareness to the museum鈥檚 community services that include its summer arts programs, annual juried art show, virtual book club and group tours, he said.
鈥淲e have to reimagine how we do everything. How do we increase our membership? How do we increase the number of visitors that come through that door?鈥� he said.
Sanders-Wise hopes people who haven鈥檛 learned about Tarrant County鈥檚 Black history pay a visit and walk away with a richer understanding of those who built the community.
鈥淲e have sustained ourselves for 48 years, so we can do it with the ups and downs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are people who have never been to this part of the city, and they don鈥檛 know the history. There鈥檚 an opportunity to learn and to understand.鈥�
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or .
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