COMMUNITY JUSTICE WARRIORS: Expanding Access to Justice in Fort Worth’s Historic 76104 Community.
COMMUNITY JUSTICE WARRIORS: Expanding Access to Justice in Fort Worth’s Historic 76104 Community.
By New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church and the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church and the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas (MJCT) plan to launch an innovative new partnership with the Texas Immigration Law Council’s Economic Justice Initiative (EJI) at Texas A&M University School of Law to bring unprecedented legal support, community empowerment, and leadership development opportunities to underserved communities throughout Fort Worth’s historic 76104 ZIP code.
This groundbreaking collaboration represents a significant step forward in addressing the justice gap that continues to affect low-income Texans, immigrants, working families, and historically underserved communities.
At the center of this effort is the Community Justice Warriors Initiative, a faith-based and community-centered approach designed to equip trusted local leaders with the tools, training, and resources needed to help neighbors navigate challenges, access services, and connect with pathways toward stability and success.
About the Texas Immigration Law Council
The Texas Immigration Law Council is a nonpartisan statewide 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2023 to protect and promote the rights of immigrants and refugees of all nationalities throughout Texas.
Through advocacy, education, legal innovation, and strategic partnerships, the organization works to ensure that all Texans have access to information, opportunity, and justice regardless of language, income, or background.
What is the Economic Justice Initiative?
The Economic Justice Initiative (EJI) is a pioneering statewide effort created to close the justice gap for low-income Texans through technology, trusted partnerships, and a new generation of legal advocates.
Founded in May 2024 as an initiative of the Texas Immigration Law Council, EJI utilizes innovative technology and community-based solutions to remove barriers, educate residents, and make justice more accessible to people who might otherwise go without assistance.
At the heart of EJI is the belief that justice should not depend on a person’s income, location, language, or ability to navigate complicated systems.
To achieve this mission, EJI trains and deploys Community Justice Workers (CJWs) — trusted, community-rooted advocates who work alongside attorneys to help extend legal services into neighborhoods where the need is greatest.
Across Texas, EJI’s growing network of attorneys, fellows, Community Justice Workers, and community partners has already reached more than 100,000 Texans, demonstrating the power of community-centered legal assistance.
The initiative continues to develop pilot programs that train local residents to become Community Justice Workers, creating a scalable model that expands access to civil legal services while building leadership capacity within communities themselves.
Bringing Justice Closer to Home
The Community Justice Warriors Initiative reflects the shared belief that communities thrive when trusted local leaders are equipped to help residents navigate challenges before they become crises.
Many Texans face legal problems involving housing, employment, healthcare, consumer protection, family matters, public benefits, and financial hardship without knowing where to turn for help.
Community Justice Workers help bridge that gap.
While they do not provide legal advice, CJWs are trained to:
- Share accurate and reliable legal information
- Help residents better understand their rights
- Connect families to legal aid and community resources
- Prevent small problems from becoming larger crises
- Assist residents in navigating complex systems
- Support self-represented individuals in civil matters
- Reduce language, technology, and cultural barriers to justice
By embedding trusted community advocates alongside attorneys and legal organizations, the program helps ensure that legal assistance reaches people where they live, work, worship, and gather.
Faith Meeting Action
According to Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr., the initiative aligns directly with New Mount Rose’s mission of serving as “The Digital Front Door in 76104.”
“In communities like 76104, too many people face legal challenges without access to the information or support they need,” said Pastor Tatum. “We believe faith institutions must become bridges to opportunity, healing, education, and hope. The Community Justice Warriors Initiative creates a Pipeline to Possibilities by developing local leaders who can help strengthen families and transform communities from the inside out.”
Leaders at New Mount Rose and MJCT view the partnership as part of a broader movement of churches, universities, legal advocates, and community organizations working together to address the everyday challenges affecting working families across Texas.
Building Community Justice Warriors
Participants in the program will receive online training and certification designed to prepare them to serve as trusted community connectors and advocates.
Applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Possess a high school diploma or GED
- Reside in Texas
- Have reliable internet access
- Be comfortable completing online coursework
- Successfully complete a background check
- Be affiliated with New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church as a member, employee, or eligible volunteer
Once approved, participants will begin a comprehensive training experience designed to prepare them for service within their communities.
A Pipeline to Possibilities
The Community Justice Warriors Initiative is more than a legal access program.
It is a leadership development strategy.
It is a workforce development opportunity.
It is a pathway toward civic engagement.
And it is another example of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church and the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas bringing together faith, education, technology, justice, and community empowerment to strengthen neighborhoods throughout Southeast Fort Worth.
As the initiative grows, leaders believe Community Justice Warriors will become a new generation of trusted advocates helping communities learn, lead, and lift one another toward greater stability, opportunity, and hope.
For More Information
Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.
New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church
2864 Mississippi Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church
“Faith in Action. Justice in Motion. Hope in Our Community.”
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