My name is Wesley Kirk, and my first child was just born. My wife, Amanda Reyes, gave birth to our beautiful baby girl. 

It is a scary time to bring a kid into this world. A world too full of chaos, hate, destruction, exploitation, and cynicism. At times, it can feel difficult to have hope in the future, to believe strongly that the world will indeed get better. That it is not only possible, not only likely, but inevitable. I want to feel confident that the world that she will grow up in will be better than the one I grew up in. To help make that a less daunting task, I want us to take a moment together and imagine what her future might look like. Let’s try to envision the future that me, her mother, our friends, our family, our community, and hopefully all of you are fighting for.

Safe, walkable streets are everywhere. Bike lanes are abundant, interconnecting every neighborhood to each other. Trails stitch together the Trinity River with parks and other greenspaces. Frequent buses efficiently take you anywhere you want to go in the city, often in their own rapid bus lanes. Streetcars connect urban villages together, many of them bringing back the same lines that first connected our city over a century ago. And new high speed trains swiftly take you to other cities across Texas and the country. Traffic is a thing of the past, along with interstate highways with 4 lanes each way, expansive parking lots are replaced, and dangerous can-centric road design is made to center the safety of all. People have autonomy, independence, & freedom to navigate quickly & conveniently without the burden of owning & maintaining their own car or the constant danger of being hit by one.

Old, native trees line the streets, protected and prioritized over the buildings they surround. Deep old prairie grasses fill every median, and line every park. Native flowers bloom in every yard. Our water is clean, protected, and preserved. The air is fresh, not polluted by cars, trucks, factories. The fracking wells have all been plugged and monitored. The few data centers to exist have all closed & been repurposed. The damage we’ve caused has been healed, purposefully, thoughtfully & carefully. Our native ecosystems are allowed to thrive again. We hear the continual hum of insects, the buzzing of bees, and chirping of birds, as they’ve returned in great numbers. Our plant & animal neighbors are safe. 

The Fort Worth Community Arts Center is restored, renovated, and revitalized. Again acting as the very foundation of the city’s vibrant arts ecosystem. It is a place where artists find opportunity, through classes, exhibitions, and incubation. Where the community gathers to enjoy incredible works from local artists, displaying their talent, brilliance, & expression. It acts as a hub for creativity & collaboration, a place where many of the world class artists in Fort Worth can call their home. It is just one of many such publicly owned community art spaces throughout the city, each ensuring that Fort Worth’s creative community can thrive & flourish. The city is rich with vibrancy & culture, with every art show, festival, mural, and public art installation, proudly proclaiming to the world Fort Worth’s commitment to funding & supporting the arts

Our beautiful downtown central library is a civic marvel. A space that the city went out of their way to make room for, dreamed big for, and collectively brought to life. Several city blocks wide and multiple stories tall, with endless rows of books, hallways full of rooms for the community, resources everywhere. It belongs to everyone, and everyone uses it. A true third space, the library serves as a reminder that knowledge, curiosity, and access to information are the core of a healthy democracy.

Panther Island is complete. The Riverwalk, the Fred Rouse Center for Arts and Community Healing, the parks, and all the high density mixed use buildings attract millions of tourists admiring Fort Worth for something other than cowboy culture and The Stockyards. The development reflects Fort Worth’s creativity and environmental stewardship rather than nostalgia for an imagined past. It shows the world that the city has grown into something new.

Diverse neighborhoods that were once long neglected are now invested in, undoing the harms of racist policies like redlining, bringing equitable infrastructure to every part of the city. Culturally rich neighborhoods like Northside, Riverside, Como, Stop Six, and many more are celebrated. The residents are protected from the negative effects of gentrification like displacement, while still reaping the benefits of revitalization. Growth happens with the community, not at its expense.

Parks dot the city, large & small, simple & intricate, natural & ornate, woven into every neighborhood. Trinity Park, like many of the parks across the city, is full of amenities because the city believes the outdoors should be shared, celebrated, and accessible. Amphitheaters host concerts and plays, public pools to help people cool off in the summer heat, and shaded lawns invite people to gather, picnic, and rest. Every park becomes the outdoor living room of the community.

Public life is designed so that everyone can participate fully. Accessibility is built into the world from the beginning rather than added as an afterthought. Physical, sensory, and cognitive differences are treated as natural variations in human experience. Support systems exist not as charity, but as a shared commitment to dignity and inclusion.

All throughout the city exist not just houses & apartments, but also townhouses, condos, duplex, quadplexes, above garage apartments, courtyard cottages, and live-work spaces. There is no more missing middle housing, because it’s no longer missing. From studio apartments to multi-generational housing, throughout the city & neighborhoods, there exists the right variety of housing to meet every stage of life, all within a short walk to all of life’s essentials. Young folks can afford to live in the most desirable neighborhoods. New families aren’t forced to move to the far flung hinterlands of developer designed cookie cutter houses. The elderly are allowed to age in their home with dignity & proximity. Old neighborhoods are no longer trapped in amber, but finally allowed to grow and adapt. We've been able to achieve the infill, density, & affordability we need as a city by allowing more flexibility in what can be built and where, because we prioritized the needs of the city over the cries of NIMBYs. Houses are meant for people, not corporations. Housing is seen as a right, not an investment. Housing becomes more than just a place to store your car & hide away. Housing is centered on connecting people with places they want to be, and most importantly with each other. Stronger bonds with our neighbors builds a stronger community.

A renaissance of local entrepreneurship reshapes the city’s economy. Small businesses buzz with foot traffic, ever since the city prioritized urban design, systems, & policies that benefit local entrepreneurs instead of just tax subsidies for corporations and endless variances for developers going against the city’s master plan. Bakeries, bookstores, coffee shops, clothing stores, but also business incubators, innovation hubs, and artisan studios & workshops. Just like what happened 100 years ago, when the city cared for local businesses, that money stays in our local economy, where it’s invested back in our communities, allowing those businesses to become institutions. The result is an economy built from the ground up by the people who live here.

Public education is thoroughly funded and supported. Class sizes are small enough that teachers can give each student the attention they deserve. Teachers are well paid and well respected. They are trusted to shape classroom learning creatively, and inspire students with lesson plans guided by their expertise & passion. Local leaders have the autonomy to do what’s best for the community. Schools are palaces of knowledge, well maintained and well supported. Classrooms are filled with resources, supplies, and proven technology. Education is joyful and expansive because we understand that investing in students is investing in the future.

Healthcare is free & universal, treated as a fundamental human right. Doctors, nurses, and specialists are free to focus on healing rather than navigating byzantine insurance bureaucracy or profit-driven systems only designed to make the most money, not do the most good. Preventative care, mental health services, and community clinics keep people healthy long before illness becomes a crisis. Medicine is guided by science, compassion, and trust between patients and providers.

Jails and prisons sit mostly empty as the criminal justice system shifts from punishment, incarceration, and cycles of harm to a model of prevention, diversion, and rehabilitation. Emergencies are more often met by social workers, mental health professionals, mediators, and trained community responders rather than armed officers. Money once spent on bloated police budgets now strengthens schools, healthcare, housing, and youth programs. Investments that address the root causes of conflict, and prevent harm before it begins. Justice comes from healing, accountability, and helping people successfully return to their communities. Safety comes from opportunity, stability, and systems of care.

Voting no longer suffers from systems designed to suppress & discourage participation or to protect entrenched power. Voting is accessible, simple, and secure. Automatic registration, universal vote-by-mail, and plentiful polling centers ensure that every voice can be heard without barriers. Ballots arrive with clear explanations of candidates and propositions so every voter can make informed decisions. Elections are structured to reflect the true will of the public and full range of public opinion, using modern voting systems that encourage consensus and representation rather than division, allowing you to vote for candidates who represent your values, not just vote against the worst outcomes. Election days feel like civic celebrations rather than bureaucratic chores, and voting is treated as a fundamental act of citizenship

Running for office is no longer limited to the wealthy, the well-connected, or those with a career in politics. The barriers that once prevented ordinary people from running for office have been dismantled. Publicly funded campaigns ensure that candidates compete on ideas and vision rather than fundraising ability, removing the corrupting influence of corporate money, allowing leaders to answer to the people they represent rather than the donors who once funded them. Positions like city council pay a fair wage that reflects the responsibility of the role, allowing elected officials to dedicate their full attention to the communities they serve, ensuring that leadership is treated as public service rather than a side job or stepping stone. Candidates are everyday people coming from every walk of life (teachers, nurses, union workers, small business owners, and community organizers) who reflect & represent their constituents, bringing lived experience into public leadership. Debates and public forums are major civic events, where people actively engage with the ideas shaping our future.

While the work to create, sustain, and maintain a better future gets easier due to politicians doing the work of the people through smart policies, it's always important to hold them accountable. The work of advocating and protesting gets easier too because the community is full of leaders, everyday people who step up to organize, without suffering the weight of burnout, thanks to broad community support for grassroots organizations, and many volunteers who recognize their civic duty beyond just the ballot box. Many hands make for light work.

Democracy is no longer dominated by billionaires, corporate lobbyists, power hungry sycophants, religious zealots, extremist factions, or coldhearted sociopaths that once distorted the will of the people. Public office is instead dominated by people committed to solving real problems for the communities they represent. Trust is earned by governments through transparency, proactive engagement, ethical leadership, a willingness to listen, and sincerely incorporating feedback from constituents. It is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people. Democracy becomes something active, participatory, and deeply accountable to the public good.

The horrors we experience today become distant and unfamiliar. The things that once felt ordinary, fear, exclusion, cruelty, become topics for history books instead of everyday realities. Systems of harm that were tolerated by so many, are no longer accepted. The world is kinder, fairer, and more humane, because people decided those horrors did not have to continue.

Women are treated as equals in every part of society, and move through the world with the same freedom, respect, safety, and opportunity as anyone else, their voices valued in every room where decisions are made. Gender is no longer used as a reason to dismiss, diminish, or endanger anyone. Instead, society embraces the full spectrum of gender identities, ensuring that everyone is free to pursue their dreams with equal dignity and protection.

Love exists openly and honestly, enshrined in law as equal rights & protections. Queer people grow up knowing their love will be treated with the same recognition and joy as anyone else’s, and without fear of harassment, stigma, or violence.

The color of someone’s skin no longer dictates opportunity, treatment, or belonging. Diversity is not something merely tolerated. It is understood as a source of strength & resilience, that makes for a richer, more vibrant society. Reparations are being addressed through policies designed to provide opportunities to everyone, but especially those who have suffered from centuries of racist attitudes, laws, & systems, and have not benefited from generational wealth and countless privileges.

Neighbors from every corner of the world are welcomed with open arms. Languages, cultures, food, music, and traditions from around the world blend into the life of the community, while still being celebrated & appreciated for their uniqueness. Curiosity replaces suspicion, and hospitality replaces hostility. Rather than building taller walls, we build longer tables.

Religion is no longer used as a justification to dominate or shape laws in ways that exclude or harm others. Faith is treated as a personal practice, not a political weapon used to control bodies, restrict rights, or erase identities. Freedom of religion is understood to include freedom from religion. People of every belief—and those with no religious belief at all—live under laws built on equality, dignity, and shared humanity.

The concentration of unimaginable wealth in the hands of a few no longer defines the economy. Prosperity is measured by how well everyone is able to live, not by how much a small number of individuals can accumulate. Work is valued regardless of its economic impact, communities are supported rather than exploited, and resources circulate rather than be hoarded. Billionaires cease to exist, and the very idea of one is seen as cartoonsishly evil villains and fictional as dragons, because the very idea of someone hoarding unimaginable wealth while billions suffer, struggling to afford the basic necessities of life, is acknowledged morally reprehensible and beyond comprehension.

Lastly, The Fort Worth Way ceases to be about a handful of the rich & powerful making decisions behind closed doors, deciding what gets built, who benefits, and who is left out. It’s no longer about putting on a polite front and upholding the status quo, meanwhile profiting at the expense of the public, excluding those who do not give in to the hierarchy. 

Instead The Fort Worth Way has an all new meaning, the one it should have had all along. Where the community rallies together to achieve the impossible. Where scrappy underdogs work together to create a city that we can all be proud of. It means a culture that prizes inclusion, transparency, and collaboration over control. Where power is distributed across communities, neighborhoods, and coalitions that reflect the full diversity of Fort Worth, and everyone feels empowered to shape the future together.

It is a future where hate, violence, and suffering are replaced with safety, joy, and harmony.

It is a future of kindness, compassion, and community.

It is a future that allows us the freedom to be who we are, and be our best selves.

It is a future where we are connected to each other, and take care of one another.

This is the future that my wife & I are working towards. We know it’s ambitious, but it’s also not even radical. It’s entirely reasonable. This is the future that I hope we all want to live in. We may not get there in 18 years, we may not get there in a lifetime, but we have to hope, we have to dream, and we have to fight for that future every day.

Which is why my wife & I dedicated to name our daughter, Adelita Catarina Reyes. She was named Adelita after the women soldiers, soldaderas, in the Mexican revolution who supported their community and fought on the frontlines. They fed the hungry, cared for the sick & injured, managed the needs of their community, and when necessary, fought their oppressors directly. They believed solidarity was stronger than fear, and that there’s a future worth fighting for. Ballads were sung about their heroism, beauty, and selflessness. Art was made to tell their story, and remind us of their sacrifice so that we would always know who they were.

We hope that our Adelita will know who she is.

A young proud Tejana whose rights are not negotiable, whose voice is not fragile, whose future is not hopeless.

She will feel safe. She will feel connected. She will feel empowered.

She will feel proud to call Fort Worth, Texas her home.

And she will know that her future did not become this way by accident.

We built it. Brick by brick. Policy by policy. Choice by choice.

Out of love. Out of courage. Out of responsibility.

For her. For us. For each other.

For the future we refuse to give up on.

Her mother and I are going to fight every day to create that better future for her.

We hope you’ll join us.