Ceremony to dedicate a home for United Fort Worth activists to gather set for Sunday
The members of United Fort Worth are dedicating a house in the Polytechnic neighborhood as their center and offering it up as a place that others can utilize to do justice strategy and organizing.
“United Fort Worth has been active since 2017, but until now we have not had a space designated for the type of work we want to do,” said Pamela Young, a community organizer and United Fort Worth member.
Now people have a place they can visit and learn about activism and how to get involved in social justice activities in North Texas, Young said. Before acquiring access to the building, members of United Fort Worth met at local restaurants, a library, a church that might open its doors, or wherever they could when they needed to meet, Young said.
The official grand opening for the facility will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday and will feature music, free food, a special dedication ceremony at 4 p.m. and the unveiling of a social justice mural created by local artists, according to a United Fort Worth news release.
“This is historic because the people of Fort Worth finally have a dedicated place to do liberation work,” said Daniel Garcia Rodriguez, a community organizer and co-founder of United Fort Worth.
“Our vision is to provide a home for those who want to address the political, social and economic institutions in our city that were built to favor some at the expense of others. This will be a gathering place where the movement to change Fort Worth can take shape.”
Community members, nonprofits, activists and others engaged in equity work will have the opportunity to utilize the facility, which also serves as United Fort Worth’s headquarters.
In addition to a community meeting room, the Community Justice Center includes a “war room” for strategizing campaigns, a social justice library, a healing space for those in need of respite, and a workspace with a computer and printer available for community use.
United Fort Worth created the Community Justice Center with a goal of facilitating unity across historically marginalized groups that face interconnected issues related to human rights, and to build power among those who are most disenfranchised from the city’s traditional systems and institutions, the release said.
“We intentionally chose Poly because it was important to us that the Justice Center be in a neighborhood that directly reflects the Black and Brown communities impacted by Fort Worth’s systems of oppression,” Garcia Rodriguez said.
“The Community Justice Center will serve as a catalyst to increase their engagement in local governance and dismantling institutional disparity,” he said.
When and Where: The dedication is scheduled from 3-6 p.m. Sunday with a special dedication ceremony beginning at 4 p.m. that will include the unveiling of a social justice mural created by local artists. The new United Fort Worth Community Justice Center is located at 2308 Vaughn Blvd.
