On February 10, 2026, the Fort Worth City Council held its first annual Black History Program at City Hall, beginning at 6:00 PM. The event featured remarks from councilmembers, a proclamation by Mayor Mattie Parker, and a moment of silence for recently deceased Mayor Pro Tem Gina Vivens. The evening celebrated the contributions of African Americans to Fort Worth and the nation, with vendors, community leaders, and the Old Wild Yaffe Fellowship marching into the council chambers.
Good evening. Good evening. If I can have your attention. My name is Deborah Peoples. And on behalf of the mayor and the City of Fort Worth City Council, we welcome you to our first annual Black History Program. Okay, I need your full attention. This is my friend and fellow councilwoman. We are so excited that you are excited to be here, but we want your full attention that you can hear the remark that she is sharing. Yes, they are. We're gonna wait. Huh? I'm a school teacher and I'll wait all day. And then I'll start calling you by name. I am okay. All right, City of Fort Worth, we are so glad that you are here today. It is my pleasure and privilege to introduce councilwoman of District 5, City of Fort Worth, none other than the Deborah, Miss Deborah people. So for those of you who don't know, my mother was a school teacher, so Dr. Mia Hall brought back memories of my mama. So now that the class is at attention, I just want to tell you that the city of Fort Worth was chartered in 1849. In 1849, there were 59 bright folks and a hundred and fifty black folks. For almost five decades, the Black Chamber has stood as a champion of black businesses, families, and communities, promoting wealth, opportunity, and unity. Thank you to the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring this evening's event. On behalf, yes, that is a pause. On the path of the entire Fort Worth City Council, we are so grateful for your partnership. And I would also like to thank all of the wonderful businesses who helped make this event one to remember. And you guys, I want your full attention because we're going to recognize all these magnificent vendors who took the time to be here this evening. I want to thank each of you individually. Please wave your hand when you're called. And this is in no particular order. I love you all. I would like to thank Carpenter's Cafe. Ooh. Thank you. The Buffalo Soldiers for honoring the legacy and preserving the history. Make sure you stop by Tiebreaker by Crisco. The Perfect Well Juicery. And LeBert Financial Services. Thank you all so much. We certainly cannot have done this without you. And you guys, I hope that you've all gotten a bite to eat, learn some history, and make sure you've purchased something from one of the lovely vendors. And last but not least, I would be remiss if I not thank the wonderful, magnificent, amazing, dynamic, unstoppable district directors from offices five, six, and eight. Thank you all for your hard work, ladies. You made our visions come true, and we could not have done this without you. And thank you to the city of Fort Worth staff who made sure we had electrical, we had stage AV and everything. So without further ado, I have the privilege of introducing the dynamic, magnificent, one of a kind, my partner and friend in crime, not crime, service and community. Councilman Chris Nettles of District A. Hello, Fort Worth. All right. We want to get a couple of preliminaries out of the way. I do want to take an opportunity to announce an actor that we have in the house with us, Mr.