The City of Fort Worth on Friday will honor Juneteenth with an online program featuring the history behind the lynching of Fred Rouse, an oral history interview with activist Opal Lee, a presentation by local musician Brandi Pace and more.
The June 19 program will be broadcast on the city’s YouTube channel starting at 11:30 a.m. It will also stream at that time on the city’s Facebook page.
The program is presented by Fort Worth’s Diversity & Inclusion Department and the Fort Worth Library, in partnership with the city’s MLK/Juneteenth Employee Committee.
Christina Brooks, the city’s chief equity officer and director of the Diversity & Inclusion Department, will present a timely message on Juneteenth’s importance.
The Tarrant County Coalition on Peace and Justice will present a segment on Fred Rouse and the only documented lynching of an African American in Fort Worth. Although it is a stain in Fort Worth’s history, the organization believes it is a history lesson that can be used to help eliminate racial injustice.
The oral history interview with local community leader and Juneteenth activist Opal Lee will be presented on the heels of her 2.5-mile caravan through downtown Fort Worth earlier Friday to commemorate freedom from slavery.
The program will conclude with a presentation from local musician and Black Roots music historian, Brandi Pace, who has been regularly featured at the Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site Juneteenth Heritage Celebration, one of the largest such celebrations in Texas.
The city’s cable channel will rebroadcast the program later Friday starting at 2 p.m. Fort Worth residents can view the program on these channels, depending on their cable company:
- Charter: Channel 190.
- One Source: Channel 7.
- Verizon: Channel 5.
- AT&T U-Verse: Channel 99.
The program can also be streamed on the Fort Worth TV webpage at 2 p.m. Friday.