Downtown Fort Worth march honors civil rights legends MLK, Judge L. Clifford Davis
February 17,2025
See full Fort Worth Report article by David Moreno here.
The sounds of school marching bands and hundreds of stomping feet filled the streets of downtown Fort Worth as Tarrant County residents honored the legacy of civil rights legend Martin Luther King Jr. just under a month after the holiday that bears his name.
The annual holiday parade, hosted by the Greater Fort Worth MLK Holiday Committee, returned for its 40th anniversary to remember the living hope of King’s Dream. Cold weather delayed the parade from Jan. 20 to Feb. 17.
“Dr. King had a dream and the only way we make that dream a reality more and more every single day is if we stand up to do our part and make sure justice really is for all,” Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said during the rally at Sundance Square.
This year’s parade also came with a special honor for L. Clifford Davis, a Fort Worth judge, attorney and civil rights leader who died Feb. 15 at the age of 100.
Davis spent his lifetime advocating for fairness and stood at the forefront of desegregation of public schools. In Fort Worth, Davis represented five Black students who were barred from attending Mansfield High School in 1955. They sued Mansfield ISD and won in 1956.
When Davis’ clients attempted to enter the school, they were met by a mob. Eventually Mansfield ISD and Fort Worth ISD integrated, largely because of lawsuits and pressure from Davis. He would continue to break down barriers throughout his career, becoming the first appointed Black judge to preside over a Tarrant County district court in 1983.
“We lost a giant in this community,” Glenn Lewis, chair of the board of trustees at Texas Wesleyan University, said. “This community will be strongly grateful to God for leaving him to us and allowing him to stay, work and live among us for such a long and productive period.”
For Arlington resident Brittoni Wordlaw, the annual parade and rally has become a “fun tradition” for her and her children to enjoy no matter the weather. She sees it as an opportunity to educate her family about civil rights history.
“The kids love seeing the floats. It’s important to support all the organizations that organize it and MLK’s life work of pushing forward the cause,” she said. “I want them to understand what’s happening outside and to live by example.”
Although it’s common for car clubs, school bands and floats to parade through the streets of downtown Fort Worth, it hasn’t always been that way, committee chair Krista Boyce Daniels previously told the Report.
The earliest days of honoring King’s life in Fort Worth involved a silent march. In October 1959, King visited the city in the midst of segregation. He was greeted by various Black community leaders and discussed what could be done about the city’s civil unrest, Daniels said.
Daniels’ late husband, Weldon G. Daniels, a former pastor emeritus at Pilgrim Valley Missionary Baptist Church, formed the Fort Worth MLK holiday committee in 1985 with several other community members.
The Fort Worth observance has changed throughout the years as a way to keep the youth engaged, but it remains important to remind younger generations of the parade’s origins, Daniels previously told the Report.
“I still keep them informed that, yes, you can dance, yes, you can have your vehicles, yes, you can have your floats. … But in the back of your mind, always remember why he stood (and) what he stood for,” she said.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
Disclosure: Texas Wesleyan University is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Location Mentioned: Sundance Square Plaza