Keep Fort Worth Beautiful is hosting its 40th Annual Cowtown Great American Cleanup! This is the City’s largest cleanup event of the year, averaging approximately 4,500 volunteers each year. The first 4,000 volunteers to register will receive a free t-shirt. All volunteers receive litter cleanup supplies.
After the cleanup, celebrate Earth Party at Rockwood Park from 11 am - 1 pm to show appreciation for all the hard work done to keep our city clean and green.
Let’s not forget about the Trashion Fashion Show! Reduce, reuse, and refashion is the foundation for this event. Deadline for submissions by Thursday, March 27.
Saturday March 29, 2025 8 - 11 am
For details about the Cleanup, Earth Party, and Trashion Fashion Show, visit www.fortworthtexas.gov/cowtowncleanup.
Army Legacy
Three
generations
of Black women have made Army history, including by serving in the legendary Six Triple Eight.
BY LAURIE JAMES
METROPOLIS
Fort Worthian Moni Washington enlisted in and attended the U.S. Military Prep school in 1986 as a private, and the next year, she was accepted into the United States Military Academy in West Point. She graduated in June 1991 as a second lieutenant, “the bottom-of-the-ladder starting rank for officers,” she said. Washington was one of 16 Black women to be admitted to West Point in 1987. Of those 16, only seven graduated in 1991. Washington thought she was the second generation in her family to serve in the Army. “It’s the family business,” she said. Both her parents served in the Army immediately before and during the Vietnam era, which officially clocks from 1954 through 1975, although U.S. forces were in the region far earlier. But it wasn’t until after her grandmother’s death in 1999 that she realized Lois M. Washington, her father’s mother, also served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II.
Two years after Lois’ death, Washington, the executor of her grandmother’s estate, received a steamer trunk with her grandmother’s belongings. Inside were uniforms and a DD-214 –– the document from the U.S. Department of Defense that formally indicates time of military service, including the where and when. The DD-214 showed that Lois Washington was part of the legendary WAC 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which served in a combat theater as an integral part of morale and welfare.
Tyler Perry’s World War II historical drama The Six Triple Eight (currently showing on Netflix) dramatizes events around the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only Black battalion of the Women›s Army Corps that served overseas in World War II. The 6888th served during combat in England and France, where they sorted thousands of letters neglected and piled up in warehouses because white male soldiers could not be freed up to attend to the sorting and delivery. In addition
to overt racism and sexism, the battalion was faced with a seemingly insurmountable pile of years’ worth of both incoming and outgoing mail, much of which did not have proper addresses or even recipient or addressee full names. The group was given six months, and they finished in just 90 days.
Washington’s father, Ralph Washington, enlisted in the Army around 1948 “to get out of Chicago,” Washington said. Ralph was a medic, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) in the Nurse Corps, which was a potentially career-making opportunity for a Black soldier in those days. He served one tour of duty stationed in Korea and two tours in Vietnam before returning stateside.
Washington’s mother, Shirline “Shirley” Fox, was initially stationed at Fort McLellan, Alabama, and she was also an LPN –– the third Black female Nurse in the WAC in the late 1950s. She met Ralph when they were both working at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. Both
parents went on to continue their nursing careers outside of the Army. Shirline left the Army around 1962 due to her newly married status. Ralph remained on active duty and retired in 1981 after more than 35 years of service. Washington joined the Army “out of respect” for her parents.
“They were my biggest cheerleaders,” she said. “I was amazed at their service. I loved watching them put their uniforms on — starched nursing whites. Nursing and the military was the family business.”
Women have volunteered for military service probably since the American Revolutionary War in 1775, although formal documentation of women’s military service dates to the American Civil War. But it was only in the last century that the WAC gave credence, purpose, and organization to their service. Six months before women received formal military status, the first contingents of female soldiers arrived in North Africa and England. After official
incorporation, three WAC units joined the British Southeast Asia Command in New Delhi, India, in October 1943. That year, WAC platoons arrived in Italy and Cairo, Egypt. In January 1944, WAC units arrived in New Caledonia and Sydney, Australia. Of course, these were only white women.
The WAC wasn’t even considered an official branch of the U.S. Armed Services until after World War II. The Women’s Armed Services Integration Act in 1948 enabled women to serve as permanent members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and the newly founded Air Force. However, the Act limited the number of women who could serve to 2% of the forces in each branch. The WAC was eventually folded into all units of the U.S. Army (with the exception of combat forces) in 1972, just after Shirley’s forced retirement from the WAC.
In her mother’s WAC, they had different uniforms because “they weren’t really in the Army,” Washington said. At the time Shirley served, very few women served in the Army, much less Black women.
Washington’s grandmother Lois (Ralph’s mother) was, as far as she knew, a civil servant with a respectable job in a Chicago post office. Washington was born in 1968, and Grandma Lois crocheted a lot of her clothes. Washington remembers taking Lois to the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago for medical and hospital services but assumed that Lois was connected to care there because she was the widow of a veteran.
As the executor of Lois’ will, Washington has some family heirlooms, including pottery her grandmother made and an armoire that houses some of Lois’ fancy gold-rimmed China. But it wasn’t until two years after her grandmother’s death that she realized Lois served two tours of duty as a private in the WAC during World War II.
“She never told us anything” about her time in the Army, Washington said. “My brother is 13 years older than me –– someone had to know something.”
Washington recently spoke to her brother, and he had no information about her service, either.
“He said she did not entertain questions at all,” Washington said.
As it turns out, Lois’ story is part of Perry’s The Six Triple Eight, although many of the supporting cast of actresses play amalgamations of different real-life women for brevity and also for continuity and interest in the storyline.
Grandma Lois was a bit of a mystery. Her race was in dispute –– she called herself Black, but her death certificate lists an Irishnamed parent. She was also allegedly part continued on page 5
Pvt. Lois Washington served in the U.S. Women’s Army Corps from 1944 to 1946 in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion Moni Washington
Cherokee, but she didn’t like to talk about that, either.
“When I asked about my heritage in 1984, she said in the 1900s it was worse to be Irish and Cherokee than Black,” Washington said. Lois “spent 50 years changing” her race, and it stuck.
“I am mulatto,” Washington remembers Lois saying. And there was no information superhighway back then to put us on a technological leash. “We can’t doctor anything these days,” Washington said with a laugh.
In the 1940s, she passed for a very light-skinned Black woman. According to Washington, Lois “marked out everything on her birth certificate and wrote ‘Negro.’ ” Washington’s father Ralph was born in 1930 –– his sister Wanda was born around 1928. At the time, Lois lived in Chicago with the two kids and her itinerant, allegedly abusive longshoreman husband, who travelled for work for months at a time. Around 1942, Lois made a decision to drop Ralph and Wanda with a family named the Butlers in Coffeyville, Kansas. Coffeyville was home to remnants of one of the Osage tribes, but nobody knows if the Butlers were relatives. That part of the family’s history remains shadowy.
“She didn’t talk about that much,” Washington said. “Think about what women had to go through back then and even now. She had so few resources. Her best bet was to leave the kids and join the WAC.”
Lois enlisted circa 1943 out of Chicago. She was sent on a train to bootcamp in Georgia, and after graduation, she was placed in the 6888th Postal Battalion — “we think that was the only place that accepted Black women,” Washington said.
All this tracks with the storyline of Perry’s movie. The 850-member regiment received basic combat and gas mask training at Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia.
Per historical records, the women were transported to Birmingham, England, via
Glasgow, Scotland, in 1945. The segregation from Georgia and the American South followed them to Europe –– the American Red Cross allegedly refused hotel rooms to the Black WAC and tried to house these soldiers separately. Then-Major Charity Adams, the first Black woman officer in the WAC, a preacher’s kid, and a well-educated woman, led the 6888th in a boycott of the separate accommodations, and her troops stood behind her –– this is not included in Perry’s movie, although there’s plenty of other historical info there.
After clearing the warehouses in Birmingham, the 6888th transferred to Rouen, France, to sort additional mail and cleared a three-year pile of correspondence in five months. In France, the 6888th were hailed as heroes and took part in parades. By the end of the war in 1946, the unit returned to Fort Dix, New Jersey, where they were disbanded.
And there the story would have ended, except for Perry’s movie and an awards ceremony 80 years later. In 2022, President Joe Biden awarded the 6888th Postal Battalion the Congressional Medal of Honor.
“You know, I found this stuff out four years after she died,” Washington said. “She never volunteered any of it. She came to everything –– when I enlisted, when I was commissioned, and she came to my duty stations, and she never said anything to me.”
Because Lois served two tours of duty in a combat theater, she would be classified
as a combat veteran in today’s parlance. Modern-day honorably discharged combat veterans receive honor, recognition, and, more importantly, health care. As it was, the WAC received little appreciation and no medical care after their service as they weren’t formally recognized as Army. Upon her return stateside in 1946, Lois went to Kansas to retrieve the kids from the Butlers and returned to Chicago. continued on page 6
Moni Washington was ultimately promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, continuing what she calls “the family business.” Moni Washington
When Moni Washington knew her grandmother Lois (pictured here in her old Chicago Transit pass), she had no idea the older woman served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Laurie James
Possibly because of her experience in WAC, she qualified to work at the post office. She eventually remarried.
There’s also a question about Lois’ name: Was it Lois or Delores? “Her death certificate says ‘Lois,’ ” Washington said. “Everyone called her Lois.” It’s possible that when she left her husband and her kids, in addition to changing her race, she changed her name. In The Six Triple Eight, a light-skinned woman who identifies herself as Delores Washington declines to leave the Black women with whom she’d been chatting when the train they’re on crosses into the segregated South and the white women are moved to a different train car. It’s likely that that character is based on Lois Washington.
Washington says that she learned much later that the myth of the Black WAC was that they sent them to the European theater to be concubines for the Black soldiers who could not possibly date the white European ladies.
“They were made to host those Black soldiers,” Washington said.
Perry’s movie shows this, although in his version, the WACs are hosting a dance.
Military sexual trauma is something that the Department of Defense and the Veteran’s Administration started talking about only in the 2010s. “It’s something we just tolerated,” Washington said.
Also, at the time Lois returned, Black
soldiers were discouraged from wearing their uniforms on American soil. “I wonder what she thought,” Washington said. Lois was part of the “silent generation.”
Washington’s dad Ralph “never told me [Lois’] stories, only his,” she said. Ralph came back with serious post-traumatic memories from his service, what we now call PTSD. He was reluctant to talk about any of his experiences. Washington remembers a time when she was very young when she slammed a door –– not on purpose –– and the noise sent her dad under the furniture
in the kitchen. She called her uncle, who told her to go to her room and lock the door until he could get there to calm her dad and convince him he wasn’t still in Vietnam.
After her commission as a second lieutenant out of West Point, Washington was stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia, and Fort Benning, Georgia, “where I jumped out of planes,” she said. Her uniform has a parachute badge on it. Her terminal rank was lieutenant colonel (LTC). She spent a total of 25 years in the Army, both active duty and in the reserves, then went on to nursing school, continuing in her parents’ footsteps.
There’s a scene in The Six Triple Eight when the women finally arrive in the north of England to find the building they were to be housed in is uninhabitable –– between the elements and the rodents, it probably should have been condemned. The first thing the women of the 6888th had to do was clean the place.
Major Charity Adams’ character, played by Kerry Washington, tells her soldiers, “Your mothers have done worse,” likely referring to the fact that her mother was the great-grandchild or great-great grandchild of an enslaved woman, as well as to the working conditions widely available for American Black women at the time.
“I am so proud of my grandmother,” Washington said. “It was amazing to see this part of her life.”
While she was watching The Six Triple Eight this year, she said, “I lost my voice from screaming and cheering for those ladies. I resonated with the challenges faced by Charity Adams as I recalled my own experiences. I am a legacy!” l
SPRING BREAK STARTS HERE
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Lois Washington did not talk much about her military service, even to her family.
Moni Washington
Lois Washington’s estate included a powder compact, because women in the Women’s Army Corps had to wear makeup.
Moni Washington
Lois Washington received a credit in Tyler Perry’s The Six Triple Eight.
Moni Washington
March 2–September 7
Alex Da Corte: The Whale is made possible through major support from the Texas Commission
the Arts, with additional contributions from the Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District, Matthew Marks Gallery, Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund, Henrik Persson, Gió Marconi Gallery, and Sadie Coles HQ.
You discover a sink full of teeth and realize the truth bites back.
You find yourself having to choose between safety alone or succumbing to a terrifying plague with your children.
You have a recurring nightmare about being mounted and raped by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Have you read any Texas horror lately? Have you read any horror by Texas women like that above?
Sometimes it’s hard to breathe, but they know they don’t have a choice.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe, but they have real problems with the established plotline.
There are a lot of frightening things going on in Texas and America today, and we’ve been passive and meek. It’s hardly news anymore. But not everyone is quietly acquiescing or remaining docile and submissive. Some Americans are not going gently into this dark night, and some Texans are using darkness to shine a light. I sat down with a few recently.
“I am the scary thing,” said Jacklyn Baker, a Texas writer and filmmaker, “and once I acknowledged that, I gave myself permission to start delving into really scary stuff.”
“Folks outside of the South seem to view Southern women as strong to a minimal extent,” said Black storyteller and editor R.J. Joseph. “I’m not sure that’s accurate, but it’s certainly helpful when we decide to tell monster stories or become the monster. No one sees it coming.”
Magnolia-based writer, editor, and horror content creator Madison Estes concurs. “Horror gives us the ability to expose and explore our deepest fears in a safe way. It also creates an opportunity to push boundaries and reflect reality through a warped lens to expose hidden truths about our communities and our society.”
“Texas rivers are murky and low,” added Joseph. “The sun is a fearsome beast, and the humidity smothers. Texas critters are more ferocious, and the soil whispers eerily. But the trees still dance to songs sung throughout history. The blood of our ancestors thrums through everything we see and feel. Here, horror is everywhere, especially in spaces where the whispers, screams, and wails come together to give voice to the fears
and monsters we don’t always hear about.”
“The Lone Star state has a dark side,” agreed Austin writer/filmmaker Patrice Sarath. “It’s a land of great beauty but also conquest and violence. It seeps into my work, sometimes in obvious ways and sometimes in secret code. There’s more than one Texas.”
Scary things? Hidden truths? A dark side? More than one Texas?
Speaking very generally — and acknowledging the obvious exception of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein — horror and horror writing was largely the purview of men until the mid 20th century. Even then, it remained mostly male, but women like Shirley Jackson tested that, eclipsed that, with works like “The Lottery” (1948), and Flannery O’Connor followed suit with the existential horrors inherent in Southern asininity. Then, by the 1980s, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was presciently depicting a ghoulish, patriarchal-minded “lottery,” where men could treat their pick of women as little more than indentured sex objects — which conservative males around the country still seem to prefer more than an Equal Rights Amendment.
Scary, right?
Is it any wonder that Texas women writers would begin to challenge societal mores?
“It’s the modern day that makes Texas a prime topic of horror for women,” observed Baker, who now lives in Minnesota. “You can experience a sense of dread by simply watching the news.”
“A very traditional, conservative outlook permeates many aspects of this state,”
If folks aren’t trying to harm us through legislation, they’re trying to harm us physically, financially, or mentally.
has to tell the stories we don’t always want to hear. Someone has to anchor these stories in factual history and academic rigor. We would be doing our audience and ourselves a huge disservice by not writing about social and political issues from marginalized perspectives. And critically examining these issues requires a multitude of viewpoints, not just the same ones over and over again. I feel compelled to write. Unapologetically. Unequivocally. Being a woman is political. Being a Black woman means my sheer existence is political.”
said San Antonio-based writer L.H. Phillips. “Women have to navigate this attitude, and it provides tons of material.”
Baker, Estes, Joseph, Phillips, and Sarath have all contributed to the state’s annual horror anthology — Road Kill: Texas Horror by Texas Writers — and their works reflect the reality we inhabit today.
“Horror is one of the best genres for tackling real-world fears without being preachy,” said Estes, who edited Vol. 6 of the series. “I don’t always set out to write political horror stories, but when you’re writing about fear, surviving evil, or thwarting injustice, those themes often naturally arise.”
“Texas is a place where a lot of different groups of people have collided due to the course of history,” Baker added. “It’s made it what it is today, and that should be celebrated, not stifled.”
Joseph, also a Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Award nominee, may have put it best. “As a Southern woman and, specifically, a Southern Black woman, I know where the monsters are, and I know how to move around them. Since I can’t always beat them, I like to shine a light on them to let them know they’re seen. I also like to reflect the horror their victims’ experience, so the perpetrators can consider what it would be like to be on the receiving end of atrocities. Frankly, being a woman can be pretty frightening, anyway. If folks aren’t trying to harm us through legislation, they’re trying to harm us physically, financially, or mentally — through every method at their disposal. If anyone is expert at moving subversively, it’s people from marginalized groups. Someone
“Horror is richer when it comes from different perspectives,” Estes agreed. “Texas is a mix of different cultures and experiences. The more diverse voices we have in horror, the more layered and impactful the stories become. The contrast between traditional expectations and the reality of our contemporary experiences makes for powerful horror stories, whether it’s about bodily autonomy, societal roles, or the dangers of being underestimated.”
“Women still have a hard time being recognized as horror creators across the board,” Baker said. “I can’t tell you how many times I have had a conversation with someone who was completely baffled that I, a woman, was writing horror.”
But now you know.
We know.
So, there’s no excuse.
Baker is working on a series of independent films and a related comic book series. Estes is focused on her writing and more short story contributions. Joseph has a new novella coming out in a Pandi Pack (Pandi Press) this November. Sarath is focusing on writing and future film projects.
All four women have advice for female writers, but Baker’s encapsulates that of her fellow female wordsmiths. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you what you should write. If we don’t face our fears, then we will always be afraid, so dig deep. It’s not easy, and it’s not for everyone. Stories that are just for fun are equally valuable. We all need a break from reality sometimes, but if you’re feeling that itch to explore the dark side of things, then do so with a level head and a sympathetic heart. Walk through the darkness, but don’t succumb to it. Instead, use your art to illuminate the darkest parts of our world. Shining a light on horrors is the first step to banishing them.” l
Texas horror writers (clockwise from left) R.J. Joseph, Jacklyn Baker, Patrice Sarath, and Madison Estes (L.H. Phillips not pictured) agree that the first step toward banishing horrors is to shine a light on them.
BUCK U
Writing Herstory
Women’s basketball is hopping in North Texas, and four teams have made or are hoping to cement their legacies.
BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT
As we begin Women’s History Month, it’s appropriate enough that female athletes in Fort Worth, as well as across North Texas, are cementing their own places on hallowed hardwood floors, hoisting trophies and cutting nets at all levels of the sport.
Most proximally, and recently, TCU women’s basketball secured the first Big 12 regular season women’s championship in program history and the first conference title in 20 years on Sunday night in the final game of the regular season against Baylor in Waco. It was the first time ever the conference’s title has been decided in such a game, and the contest didn’t disappoint. Sedona Prince, who I’ve previously written is the difference between a good team and a title contender, added yet another double-double with 16 points and a staggering 19 rebounds. TCU shot 35% from both the field and beyond the three-point line on their way to a 51-48 victory. These Frogs have lost only three games on the season and were ranked 10th in the AP poll going into Sunday’s de facto championship game. They’ll be the top seed in the conference tournament and are
a projected 3 seed as of now, which means they’ll turn their home court — which they’ve faltered on only once this season — into an opening-round host site for a group of four. An aggressive transfer acquisition strategy from Head Coach Mark Campbell has morphed these Frogs from a below-average group into a title contender in one offseason, and fans are loving it.
Northbound on I-35 is home to another group of ballers — the Pioneers from Texas Woman’s University — who are top-ranked nationally in both the media and coaches’ polls for Division II. TWU’s athletics are most commonly recognized for their outstanding gymnastics team, who have won a record 11 championships in the USA Gymnastics collegiate division since 1993. Pioneer athletics have never captured an NCAA championship (they have several from different associations before those women’s sports were incorporated into the NCAA), but their basketballers fell just short last season during their championship game against Minnesota State. Texas Woman’s won a school record 34 games during their title run last year but had lost four games by the end of their regular season. This year’s evolution is currently 28-1 as they prepare
for the Lone Star Conference Championship that begins on Thursday in Frisco. The team’s only blemish came at UT-Tyler, and the squad bounced back by winning 22 consecutive games to date. As fantastically as our hometown team is playing, the
Dentonites have the most legitimate chance to hoist an NCAA hoops championship of any team in DFW, women or men.
Speaking of Pioneers, the UIL girls basketball state championships concluded this past weekend in San Antonio, and another trailblazing group — the Boswell Pioneers — secured the school’s first girls basketball state championship by defeating Fort Bend Hightower 51-42. Boswell, who was second-ranked, defeated three other ranked squads during their playoff run and brought home the 6A Division II state title. W.E. Boswell opened in 1962 and is part of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District, but the title represents the first girls hoops win at that level for a Fort Worth-based school since Dunbar captured the title in 2007.
In an even stranger sequence of events, we’re discussing Denton again, as the Raiders from Billy Ryan High School captured the 5A Division I title this past weekend as well. Denton-Ryan is accustomed to athletic accomplishments — their football team has won three state titles this century — but the weird part is that this group went from district contender all the way to state champion and never received a state ranking. The Raiders’ seven regular-season losses came either against larger 6A schools (including an 8-point loss to fellow state champion Boswell) or other squads with state rankings. The underdog Raiders dashed their playoff competition by an average margin of 16 points per game, including an 11-point championship-game win against top-ranked San Antonio Wagner.
Head Coach Monesha Allen is responsible for leading the first girls basketball squad in Denton ISD history to even win a regional championship (the ISD began in 1882, and Denton-Ryan — the second high school in the district — opened in 1998), let alone a state title. Allen was the coach of the Denton High School Broncos for six years before moving over to coach the Raiders in 2002-2003 and has led the program since.
A hotbed for, well, everything, DFW is also becoming an epicenter of women’s basketball at all levels. As the already-popular sport grows, we’ll be lucky to claim we knew them before many of these high school and collegiate players join the professional and Olympic ranks, continuing to lay claim to new firsts as they dominate on courts nation- and worldwide. l
Denton Ryan Coach Monesha Allen celebrates with her team after winning the 5A Division I state title, Denton’s first girls basketball championship in the long history of the district.
Courtesy Denton
TWU Coach Beth Jillson took over the program in 2007 and is hoping to lead her team back to the DII title game and win it this season.
NIGHT & DAY
Ladies Flying High All Night and All Day. Every Day.
From acrobats, gymnasts, and hoopsters soaring to musical mavens singing their songs, the ladies have it going on this spring.
&
While it might have “brothers” in the name, women take center stage at Garden Bros. Nuclear Circus. Garden Bros.’ Chad Ridge says their graceful aerialists and strongwomen onstage, as well as the choreographers and logistics ladies behind the scenes, are the backbone of the entire operation. “Women hold the majority of pivotal leadership roles,” he said. “This isn’t just a show. It’s a living testament to equality, a place where ‘the show must go on’ mentality means that everyone, regardless of gender, works hand in hand.” See for yourself now thru Sunday at Panther Island Pavilion (395 Purcey St, Fort Worth) with two shows Thu-Fri and three shows Sat-Sun. Weekly readers are eligible for a 30% discount by using code FWWeekly at GardenBrosNuclearCircus.com.
Don’t miss out on a chance to be amazed at this year’s NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Tournament this April. Sessions run Thu, Apr 17, thru Sat, Apr 19, at Dickies Arena (1911
Montgomery St, Fort Worth, 817-402-9000). Tickets start at $90 on Ticketmaster.com.
This is the final season the Dallas Wings will play hoops in Arlington before they leave us for, well, Dallas. Catch the season home opener at 6:30pm on Fri, May 16, when they face off against the Minnesota Lynx at College Park Center (600 S Center St, UTA, Arlington, 817-272-5584). Single game tickets are not on sale for the 2025 Dallas Wings season quite yet. Keep an eye on Wings.WNBA.com for updates.
For more basketball goodness, read this week’s Stuff story.
Like these ladies from Medical City Las Colinas, remember to help Don’t Forget to Feed Me with an easy drop-off donation at Arts 5th Avenue through the end of March.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
This Saturday, the Tarrant County Democratic Party invites you to attend the International Women’s Day Unite & Resist Protest in front of the courthouse (100 W Weatherford St, Fort Worth) 3pm-5pm to defend women’s rights, bodies, and futures. For safety purposes, please RSVP at TCDems. org/2025InternationalWomensDay.
The women of Arts 5th Avenue and the nonprofit animal food pantry Don’t Forget to Feed Me (DF2FM.org) are joining forces to help animals in need. Cat food is at a critical low. You can help by dropping off any size or brand of cat and/or dog food, wet or dry, or gallon-sized snap seal (not the slider kind) storage bags (for repackaging food) at Arts 5th Avenue (1628 5th Av, Fort Worth, 817-923-9500) noon-6pm any Mon-Thu thru Mon, Mar 31.
Cuisine for Healing (1614 Mistletoe Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-921-2377), a local continued on page 22
Women are both front and center and behind the scenes at Garden Bros. Nuclear Circus.
Every flip, twist, and tumble will leave you in awe at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Tournament in April.
NCAA
MOVERS
SHAKERS
nonprofit dedicated to making nutritious, delicious food readily available to people combating disease, has a fundraising event coming up. Dinner Party for Life will be at River Crest Country Club (1501 Western Av, Fort Worth) 6pm Thu, Mar 27. This one-ofa-kind intimate dinner party will feature five local celebrity chefs, each preparing a different course, with Chef Jon Bonnell as the MC and Dr. Kimberly Latoya Washington as the keynote speaker. Tickets start at $140 at CuisineforHealing.org.
Get ready for the ultimate gals night out with Brooke and Danielle from the Gals on the Go Podcast (GalsontheGoPodcast.com) at Texas Theatre (231 W Jefferson Blvd, Dallas) 7pm Fri. The gals are ready to dish on untold stories and dive into your favorite topics — girl talk, unpopular opinions, raw moments, and more. The evening will be interactive, filled with games and audience participation. As one naturally does with their best friend, Brooke and Danielle will playfully roast each other, too. Tickets start at $25 on Prekindle.com.
When I have a hot time planned on Saturday nights, I stream SNL on Sunday mornings. When I don’t, I never miss an episode in real time. I think this week is one of those times. In honor of International
Women’s Day, the incomparable Lady Gaga is doing double duty as the host and musical guest. After her epic rendition of “Dick in a Box” on the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special, this should be good.
In my spare time, I have two new books I’d like to read. Join me, won’t you, then report back. First, I’ll be digging into the new memoir of the legendary frontwoman of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, Kathleen Hanna’s Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk Besides being a badass, Hanna has battled Lyme disease and married a Beastie Boy. Next, I’ll be checking out Chelsea Handler’s new I’ll Have What She’s Having, in which the comedian shares the story of becoming the woman she always wanted to be and embracing her life as it is at age 50.
I’m from Dallas. My apologies. I got here as soon as I could. Inexplicably, I was turned on to former
Dallasite and musical genius St. Vincent only a few years back, long after she’d left North Texas. I could kick myself that I never went to a local show. I’ve never even seen her on tour. She’s playing at The Factory in Deep Ellum (2713 Canton St, Dallas, 214-749-5757) 8pm Sun, Apr 5, with special guest Glass Beams, so I’ll rectify the situation then. My husband bought me tickets for Christmas, so I’m good (thanks for asking), but for those on the hunt, you can still get them starting at $54.50 on AXS.com.
As part of its ongoing International Women’s Day programming, Rooftop Cinema Club presents Disco for the Dolls: Charli, Chappell, Carpenter featuring the music of Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and
Sabrina Carpenter on Thu, Apr 17. This will be a “silent disco” party using wireless headphones instead of loudspeakers. Tickets are $15 at RooftopCinemaClub.com. For more on what Rooftop is up to this month and next, see the Screen article a few pages back in this very issue.
Several local women musicians have upcoming gigs you should know about. Read about what Gabby Minton is up to in this week’s HearSay, and while you’re back there, take a look at Crosstown Sounds to see what many of the ladies (and gentlemen) have going on in March.
By Jennifer Bovee
The Tarrant County Democratic Party invites you to the International Women’s Day Unite & Resist Protest in front of the courthouse Saturday.
Canva
She’s got this. Lady Gaga takes over SNL this weekend.
Gals on the Go Podcast is doing a live show this Friday at the Texas Theatre.
LIVING LOCAL
Dear Neighbor,
investors, and making sure city budgets reflected the needs of the people, not just the powerful.
who wake up early, put in the work, and want a city that works for them, too.
This race won’t be decided on May 3. It’ll be decided by what we do today By how many doors we knock, how many voters we reach, and how much momentum we build in the next 60 days.
Grassroots support can win this race.
In the fight,
Jason Ballmann Candidate for Fort Worth City Council, D3
Fort Worth is a working-class city. Built by people who put in the hours, who keep our neighborhoods strong, who make this city what it is. But right now, too many of our leaders are more interested in serving developers and big-money interests than the people who actually live here. That needs to change.
I’m running for Fort Worth City Council because I believe in a city that puts families before special interests, neighborhoods before reckless development, and working people before political games. I believe we can have a city where economic growth doesn’t mean pricing people out of their own homes, where public safety is about investment in first responders and in the communities they serve, and where local government does the hard work of listening to the people, not just the loudest voices or the deepest pockets in the room.
Service isn’t a talking point for me. It’s who I am. My father spent 25 years in city law enforcement. My mother has spent nearly two decades shaping young minds in our public schools. They taught me that leadership is about showing up, fighting for people, and never backing down.
I put that belief into action when I stepped up to serve on the Marfa City Council. I fought for real tangible solutions, securing critical funding for the fire department, strengthening protections for homeowners against predatory real estate
Now, I’m ready to bring that fight to Fort Worth. But I can’t do this alone. This campaign is about fighting for the people
Political Ad Paid for by Jason Ballmann for Fort Worth City Council, 5204 Lovell Ave Fort Worth, TX 76107
LIVING LOCAL
Save the Date (and the Fort) for Mother Earth!
Join the Cowtown
Great American Cleanup on Sat, Mar 29
While Earth Month isn’t until April, Keep Fort Worth Beautiful (KFWB) is starting early! KFWB is hosting its 40th annual Cowtown Great American Cleanup, its largest yearly litter cleanup and beautification event of the year, on Sat, Mar 29. In 2024, Cowtown Cleanup volunteers removed over 134,000 pounds of litter from our city!
Register Early and Get a FREE T-Shirt!
Registration is now open! All volunteers will be provided litter cleanup supplies, including trash bags and gloves. The first 4,000 volunteers to register will receive a free, event t-shirt. Sign up as
an individual or a group at one of our pre-selected cleanup hubs, or choose a public area of your own.
Let’s Celebrate!
Following the morning cleanup, all volunteers are invited to join KFWB at Rockwood Park for Earth Party. This celebration is to recognize all the hard work and cleanup efforts performed by the KFWB volunteers, not only during Cowtown Cleanup, but all year long. Volunteers will be treated to food and drinks, live music and entertainment, exhibitor promotions, animal adoptions, and the annual Trashion Fashion Show.
Reduce, Reuse, Refashion! Create runway-ready looks for the Trashion Fashion Show! All submissions must be made from at least 50% trash or recyclable items. All participants will be invited to show off their works on stage at the Earth Party Celebration. Prizes will be awarded to selected winners. For full Trashion Fashion rules, visit www. fortworthtexas.gov/cowtowncleanup.
Become an Earth Party Exhibitor. If you are an organization with environmental interests that would like to be an exhibitor at the Earth Party Celebration, email KFWB@fortworthtexas.gov.
For the latest promotional information about Cowtown Great American Cleanup and Earth Party Celebration, visit www. fortworthtexas.gov/cowtowncleanup.
Trashion Fashion Show winners Natalie Jaecks, Jimena Villagomez, and Louisa Hathcock.
ADVERTISE HERE!
Email Stacey@fwweekly.com today!
CATTLE BARN FLEA MARKET
4445 River Oaks Blvd
Saturday & Sunday 9a-5p
All your favorite vendors will be there, including Tino, Nina, Robert, Celia, and Earl! Come by and find some treasures!
How’s Your Ride?
CALL COWTOWN ROVER!
With our handy pick-up and drop-off services, having your car checked out could not be easier. www.CowtownRover.com
3958 Vickery | 817.731.3223
EMPLOYMENT
Alcon Vision, LLC has openings for Assistant Brand Manager, OTC Shopper Marketing for the Fort Worth, Texas office. Manage development and execution of national omni-channel Shopper Marketing campaigns and key retail/account-specific programs and initiatives that build brand equity and drive positive business results along the path to purchase; and Lead activation and implementation of sales/marketing materials, in-store signage/displays, print & digital coupons redemptions/analysis, digital/social and e-com / retail media tactics, etc. Domestic travel required 5-10% of the time. Job is 40 hours per week. Please send all resumes to Sylvia Cruz, Alcon Vision, LLC, 6201 South Freeway, Fort Worth, TX 76134, Ref. No.SAAL0225
EMPLOYMENT
American Airlines, Inc. has openings in Ft. Worth, TX for: Sr. Product Owner (Ref. 2611): Resp for contribut’g to the co-creation of Product Vision and Product Strategy tied to Portfolio goals; Developer, IT Applications (Ref. 2419): Resp for leverag’g cutt’g edge tech to solve biz probs at American Airlines. To learn more or to apply send inquiries &/or resume to Gene Womack via email: Gene.Womack@aa.com. Please include Ref # in subject line. #LI-DNI
EMPLOYMENT
American Airlines, Inc. has openings in Ft. Worth, TX for: Developer, IT Applications (Ref. 2408): Resp for developing & supporting web based, mobile-aware, Java apps & web services; Sr. Analyst, Data Scientist (Ref. 2159): Resp for developing the strategic vision for the future of Procurement reporting & data strategy. To learn more or to apply send inquiries &/or resume to Gene Womack via email: Gene.Womack@aa.com. Please include Ref # in subject line. #LI-DNI
EMPLOYMENT
General Motors Financial Company has multiple openings in their Ft. Worth, TX office: Software Dev. Eng. II (Ref#22029.95.4). Req. BS in CIS, CS, Comp Eng & 2 yrs. exp. in ASP.NET, ADO.NET, Microsoft.NET, C, UML, XML, XSL, MVC Frmwrk, SQL, T-SQL, Oracle Support, Oracle Managed Cloud Services, TypeScript, Angular2, Bootstrap, CSS and HTML; Data Eng. (Ref#22029.169.2). Req. BS in IT, CS, Comp Eng & 3 yrs. exp. using Python; ETL data pipelines; Data Lake, Cloud Services, and SQL; Risk Analyst - Portfolio Forecasting (Ref#22029.126.2). Req. Master’s in Business Analytics, Finance, Econ. or MIS & 1 yr. exp. In a related Analyst role querying large multitable datasets, performing data analysis and reporting, & using SQL and data vis. tools; troubleshooting auto wrkflows; and perf. root cause analysis; Site Reliability Eng. II (Ref#22029.23.2). Req. BS or in Applied CS, CS, Comp Eng. & 5 yrs. exp. in a related role using Azure Devops, Terraform, GIT, Kubernetes, Docker, Oracle, AzureCloud Platform, Splunk, and Windows; Risk Statistician (Ref#22029.101.2). Req. Master’s degree in Statistics, Applied Statistical Modeling, or Economics & 1 yr exp using advanced statistical, qualitative and applied statistical theory; data modeling and analysis; and model validation; Software Dev. Eng. I (Ref#22029.157.2). Req. BS in CS, IT, Comp. Eng. & 1 yr exp. in a Software or Data Eng occupation using software testing, automation and user interface technologies and programming languages, including Python, C#, Cloud Services Development, and SQL. Email resumes to recruitment@gmfinancial.com. EOE
FREE SPAY / NEUTER
Need a FREE Spay/Neuter? Texas Coalition for Animal Protection has clinics near you. Schedule an appointment today by visiting TexasForThem.org or calling 1-833-636-1757.
GOT A STORY TO TELL?
We work with guest contributors to publish SEO articles and press releases. For details, email Marketing@fwweekly.com.
HISTORIC RIDGLEA THEATER
THE RIDGLEA is three great venues within one historic Fort Worth landmark. RIDGLEA THEATER has been restored to its authentic allure, recovering unique SpanishMediterranean elements. It is ideal for large audiences and special events. RIDGLEA ROOM and RIDGLEA LOUNGE have been making some of their own history, as connected adjuncts to RIDGLEA THEATER, or hosting their own smaller shows and gatherings. More at theRidglea.com
MASSAGE: Hannah in Hurst Professional Therapeutic Massage from light to deep techniques. No outcalls, flexible schedule. (mt4797). Call 817-590-2257.
NEED A FRIEND?
Ronnie D. Long Bail Bonds
Immediate Jail Release 24 Hour Service. City, County, State and Federal Bonds. Located Minutes from Courts. 6004 Airport Freeway.
817-834-9894
RonnieDLongBailBonds.com
PHYSICAL MEDIA ROCKS!
Looking for Cassettes, CDs, DVDs & Vinyl?
Come dig around, we have TONS!
The Published Page Bookstop (10 E Chambers St, Cleburne, 817-349-6366) is open 10am-6pm Wed-Sat and 1pm-6pm Sun. An authentic “Old School” bookstore on the courthouse square of Historic Downtown Cleburne, TX, just 20 minutes south of FW, it’s a true Texas treasure. For more info, visit PublishedPage.com or find us on Facebook (@BiblioTreasures).
Prepare for power outages with Briggs & Stratton® PowerProtect™ standby generators - the most powerful home standby generators available. Industry-leading comprehensive warranty - 7 years ($849 value.) Proudly made in the U.S.A. Call Briggs & Stratton 1-855-988-6789.
PUBLIC NOTICE
The following vehicles have been impounded with fees due to date by Texas Towing Wrecker, 205 S Commercial St, Fort Worth TX 76107, 817-877-0206 (VSF0000964): Frue, 1988, Dolly, $1064.05; Frue, 1989, Dolly, $1064.05; Manufacturer, 2009, Utility Trailer, $1775.83; Pine Ridge, 1995, Pine Ridge, $1064.05; StepDeck, 2003, Trailer, $1819.12; and TrailMobile, 2000, Tanker Trailer, $1819.12.
