
FWPA
The East Rosedale Monument Project will host an open-to-the-public dedication on Feb. 1, offering a fresh perspective on the civil rights movement through the lens of Fort Worth's own history. Arts Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Public Art program invite the community to witness this powerful dedication, starting at 2 p.m. at the Ella Mae Shamblee Library, located at 1062 Evans Ave. It's not just an art installation — it's a chance to experience how history, art, and social change collide in a singular, unforgettable moment.
The artist behind this incredible tribute is Christopher Blay, a man whose work has been deeply influenced by his personal journey from Liberia to Fort Worth and his role as the chief curator of the Houston Museum of African American Culture. In 2014, when Blay lived in Fort Worth, he submitted his proposal to the Fort Worth Public Art Commission. His vision? To create a monument that would not only reflect national civil rights history but also speak to the local significance of transit buses during this pivotal time.
Blay’s inspiration? The streets of East Rosedale Avenue, right by one of the neighborhood’s bus stops. As he thought about the neighborhood’s history, he realized the transit bus was not just a mode of transportation — it was a symbol of struggle, change, and resilience.
“The transit bus was this very pedestrian kind of conduit for a lot of the moments of the Civil Rights Movement,” Blay told KERA last June. From the Montgomery bus boycott to the Freedom Riders to the busing of students for desegregation, the bus was always there, carrying people through America’s fight for equality.
The result is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Blay has taken a 1970s-era transit bus and transformed it into a living monument, its gray exterior adorned with bold orange, yellow, red, and white stripes. These colors aren't just decorative — they connect this piece of public art to the actual history of the bus, bringing a tactile authenticity to the installation. Through the windows, silhouettes of children from the neighborhood, captured by the Kids Environmental Educational Network photography group, stand as quiet reminders of history's shadow.
Inside the bus, the past comes to life. Engraved plaques detail historic moments from the Civil Rights Movement, including the Montgomery bus boycott, the busing of Black students to I.M. Terrell High School in Mansfield, and Fort Worth’s own Civil Rights demonstrations. The stories of local heroes like Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," and Brenda Polk, who carried the banner for Fort Worth's first Martin Luther King Jr. memorial parade, are woven into the fabric of this space.
The road to creating this monument wasn’t easy. Over a decade of planning, challenges emerged — from sourcing materials to finding the right fabricators, compounded by delays from the pandemic. But Blay never wavered. The monument, with its rich history and personal meaning, is finally complete, ready to shine in a new, prominent location on East Rosedale Avenue.
Its location is no coincidence. It was positioned to sit directly across from the National Juneteenth Museum. However, that locale has possibly changed to the Southside Community Center at 959 E Rosedale Street, set to open in 2026.
The East Rosedale Monument Project serves as a bridge between the past and the present. It stands as a marker for where we’ve been, but it also asks us where we’re going. The monument intersects with more recent struggles, like the tragic 2019 killing of Atatiana Jefferson by Fort Worth police, reminding us that the fight for justice and equality is ongoing.
Blay has always viewed this project as part of a larger American journey.
“It’s an evolving experiment—this great American democracy experiment,” Blay reflects. “All of these ideas, they started way before 1865 and definitely before 1965. But we’re still evolving, and this monument is a testament to that.”
Adding another layer of depth, Blay enlisted 2023 Tarrant County Youth Poet Laureate April Pelton to write a poem for the monument. “My Southside, Our Community” captures the essence of Fort Worth’s Southside — a place that, despite its struggles, is alive with love, pride, and stories that demand to be heard.
My Southside, Our Community
A place abounding in love,
From the people around us to the skies above.
Where the smell of soul fills your nose,
And goodness are the seeds we sow.
This one street is connected,
Many others beautifully intersected.
For the community here is proud and bold
With inspiring stories deserving to be told.