A new, bronze marker is being installed in the Heritage Trails walking tour in downtown Fort Worth in General Worth Square, near the former location of the historic Majestic Theatre, to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s Oct. 22, 1959 visit to Fort Worth and the 50th anniversary of his April 4, 1968 assassination.
Heritage Trails is a project of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and Visit Fort Worth. Heritage Trails markers are permanently installed 4-ft. poles topped with bronze plaques that feature a cubistic longhorn and a brief narrative of the person or event they are commemorating.
The MLK marker will be the 26th on the trail.
During King Jr.’s Fort Worth visit, he spoke to a mixed crowd of 400 in a usually segregated movie theater where for the first time African-Americans were allowed to enter the front door and sit on the lower floor. Because no hotels were integrated, his host was Brite Divinity graduate Vada Felder, the first African-American to earn a degree from the college.
According to a news release, an April 4 ceremony will preview the bronze marker, which is still in production. An actual size mock-up will be on display from 4:30-6 p.m. and remarks will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Attendees will include various chamber of commerce and city officials, in addition to community and religious leaders.