Mark your calendars for a brush with history and culture in Fort Worth. Arts Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Public Art program are rolling out the red carpet for the East Rosedale Monument Project dedication this February 1. The venue? Ella Mae Shamblee Library, with festivities kicking off at 2 p.m. sharp.
The piece de resistance is a vintage transit bus, artfully repurposed by Christopher Blay, which stands as a testament to the pivotal role buses have played in propelling the civil rights movement forward from the 1950s through the '70s. Blay's crafted narrative is a visual dialogue that harks back to iconic protests of the era, from the Montgomery bus boycotts to the Freedom Riders and the historic busing for student integration. Attendees can expect to walk through history as engraved panels within the skeletal remains of the bus elegantly relay these stirring tales of defiance and hope.
Why spotlight a bus, you ask? Blay has an answer that's firmly rooted in local heritage. "By placing this monument to the struggle for equality in full view of the city, and highlighting its connection to that very cause, we not only recognize the Evans neighborhood’s connection to that struggle, but also place a marker to where we’ve been, and where we are going," he stated, as detailed by City of Fort Worth news release.
Adding a lyrical layer to the monument is 2023 Tarrant County Youth Poet Laureate April Pelton, whose penned reflections, "My Southside, Our Community," now glimmer on an electronic screen, resonating with community pride and the shared journey of a neighborhood. "A place abounding in love," her poem reverberates, further providing context to this immersive historical experience, the essence of which is firmly captured in Pelton's poignant words.
