The president of TCU’s Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services, Leslie Chanthaphasouk, said they are postponing the event. If the event does not happen next week, she said they will move the event to be a part of CommUNITY Week in late March. 

People are familiar with how Jim Crow laws shaped the nation, but the stories of lynchings, discrimination and segregation in Tarrant County are unfamiliar to some.

This week, a one day only exhibit could give some clarity to our community’s history.

TCU’s Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services (IIS) brings “Moments in History: A Celebration of African Americans in Tarrant County” to the Brown-Lupton University Union auditorium on Wednesday.

“We have a lot of great pieces to show and it’s really difficult getting students to go to the museum,” said Faith Dickerson, a sophomore English major and committee chair of this event. “So we decided to bring it here to campus.”

A lynching on 12th Avenue, the first desegregated department store on Houston Street and the white crowd that bothered the only black family on Fort Worth’s Judkins Street will be on display, along with other collections provided by the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society.

“These are major events that happened in Fort Worth that people will not believe,” said Brenda Sanders-Wise, executive director of the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society.

The exhibit kicks off at 11:15 a.m. with a speech given by the first African American state representative of Texas, Reby Cary. He will share his experience of seeing the social and educational transitions that Fort Worth went through after Jim Crow ended.

The Black History Month Committee and IIS is partnering with the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society. This partnership allows for this event to be free.

“They’re allowing us to use their collections for free,” Dickerson said. “The things that we will learn are priceless.”

Dickerson says that this event will be enjoyable, but encourages students not to forget the purpose.

“These pieces are relatable. Students know the places in the photographs,” said Dickerson. “This is specific to our community, our Fort Worth, our Tarrant County.“

The Black History Month Committee has put on events like “Night at the Apollo,” “Black Student and Alumni Dinner,” and a private showing of “Selma” at Hulen Movie Tavern in celebration of Black History Month.

For more information about the event, visit http://diversity.tcu.edu or contact Faith Dickerson at [email protected]