Site of Mr. Fred Rouse’s Lynching Purchased and Memorial to be Constructed
Diocese of Texas Gave First Gift of Many
The diocese, in alignment with our commitment to racial justice, donated $50,000 to the Tarrant County Coalition for Peace and Justice to build a memorial for a lynching victim in Tarrant County, Mr. Fred Rouse.
About Mr. Rouse
Mr. Rouse was a black man who was attacked as he left work at area stockyards in December of 1921. After being in the county hospital, he was later kidnapped five days later and ultimately lynched on Dec. 11.
Collaborations Established and the Soil had a Secret that Became a Gift
The gift from the Diocese of Texas was the first donation given to the Tarrant County Coalition for Peace and Justice. After that, the Coalition established a partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, AL, and in the process of collecting soil from the lynching site, erecting historical markers, and at the hospital site, the Coalition discovered that the site was for sale. So, later, with a grant from the Rainwater Foundation, Tarrant County Coalition for Peace and Justice purchased the land, and for the past three years, the group has tried earnestly to raise additional funds with the goal being to turn this land that carries with it such a vicious history of violence and bloodshed into a haven of healing and reconciliation.
What Next?
After our gift, and that from the Rainwater Foundation, donations then trickled in rather slowly. Meanwhile, the group had an impressive construction design in hand, and they had even chosen a construction company and were in possession with all necessary building permits. The problem was that they just couldn’t start work without the funds required to finish.
From First Gift to Largest Received Yet
The good news is that the Coalition was recently approved for grant funding in the amount of $1.2M from the Mellon Foundation – and even better, they’re in receipt of the money. Even more recently, Fort Worth City Council gave final approval to a grant of $232,000! Now work can begin.
The Anniversary that Never Should Have Been
The memorial is expected to be completed by Dec. 11; the date of Mr. Rouse’s lynching.
In Thanksgiving for Reconciliation
A celebration is planned for Saturday, Dec. 13, at 1:00PM and the major donors of the project are expected to attend. Also represented will be the Equal Justice Initiative.
What a monumental milestone in the history of race relations in Fort Worth.
