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Estella Williams, president of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County branch of the NAACP, said she couldn’t think of a time when she attended a commissioners court meeting and members of Broadway Baptist Church and the Faith & Justice Coalition of Tarrant County were not also present.
Broadway Baptist Rev. Ryon Price, congregants and members of the multifaith advocacy group frequently visit Tarrant County Commissioners Court meetings to push for better county jail conditions to lower the number of deaths at the facility.
This is one of many reasons why Williams said she chose to recognize the Faith & Justice Coalition of Tarrant County and Price with the Dr. George D. Flemmings Award. Longtime NAACP member Lorraine Miller also was a recipient of the accolade.
Price received the award on behalf of the church and coalition during the NAACP 48th Annual Dr. George D. Flemmings Freedom Fund Celebration on Oct. 11.
“They are so committed to speaking out, to standing on a mountain of saying, ‘This is not right,’ or ‘This is right,’” Williams said. “Every aspect of things that is affecting the youngest to the oldest, they’re involved in it.”
The award is the highest level of recognition within the Fort Worth NAACP and is named after the first president of the local chapter.
Price, who chairs the coalition, said he was “completely surprised and deeply honored” to receive the award. The recognition served as “a great tribute to not only the work of Broadway, but also the Faith & Justice Coalition of Tarrant County,” he added.
In August, the coalition urged city and county officials to condemn antisemitism and the Tarrant GOP chair’s anti-Muslim social media posts. The group has hosted community forums on Tarrant County’s redistricting efforts and partnered with the local NAACP branch in organizing a candidate forum ahead of Fort Worth’s May elections. The group also hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. interfaith service in January.
It’s important for different faiths to be working “in concert with one another,” instead of in silos, Price said.
“Our faith compels us to work on behalf of justice in our communities, and it’s imperative that we build bridges with others and do this work collaboratively,” Price said.
Williams said Broadway Baptist and the coalition align with the NAACP’s mission of bringing inclusiveness and justice to the community. It is a hard job that comes from the heart, she added.
“They’re doing it because they’re committed to being able to do the work,” Williams said. “They’re advocates. They’re true to the sense of the word of being an advocate. Their presence speaks loudly.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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