By Michael Foster-Sanders/campus editor

Locations of bus tour demonstrate history

Fort Worth’s black history was on display for students with a bus tour from South Campus student activities.

The tour’s first stop was the Lenora Rolla Heritage Center Museum in the Historical Terrell Heights neighborhood.

The museum featured sights from the city’s past from important African-American figures who made an impact in the community, and also doubles as an art gallery for the city’s youth.

Tour guide Sarah Walker of the Tarrant County Black Historical Genealogical
Society stressed the importance of knowing about heritage and history because it affects all aspects of life.

“I learned as a kid from my pastor that you have to know where you’re going in order to know where you’ve been,” Walker said. “And you can’t get to where you’re going until you know from where you been.”

The next historical site was the Freedom Train located at the Texas and Pacific Terminal in downtown Fort Worth. The train commemorates the African-American railroad workers, which features former Texas legislature Garfield Thompson who also worked for the railroad and showcased the prejudice that workers faced such as “colored waiting room” during the era.

South student Miracle Stokes appreciated the tour because it made her think about the past and what people of color faced.

“It makes you sad to think what was stolen from us [African-Americans,]” she said.

Mt. Gilead Baptist church was next on the list of sites. The church was built in 1875 and wasn’t just a place of worship for African-Americans. It also has a swimming pool on the inside which is functional today. It served African-Americans as a place they could go and swim because of segregation. Walker said black people came from cities like Mansfield and Saginaw to meet and have a great time.

South Student Simone Allen has been in Fort Worth over 20 years. She said the tour gave her a lot of information about the African-American history in the city she could share with her family.

“It was a lot of information that we weren’t aware of with African-American history, the foundation and the origin of the historical things in Fort Worth where it took root, and which is still living today,” she said.

TR Campus will also host the bus tour noon-2:30 p.m.

Feb. 20. Students will meet in the Rotunda on TR Campus. An RSVP is required.

To RSVP, contact 817-515-1117