by David Moreno, Fort Worth Report
April 27, 2026
Elected officials, business leaders and friends remember Fort Worth Black News founder Jill Darden as a community beacon who spotlighted diverse voices.
Darden, 52, suddenly died April 24 — days before her birthday on May 2, her sister Ginger Darden-Ford confirmed to the Report. She declined to share more information on the cause of death.
“My sister … she loved her community,” Darden-Ford said. “She loved Fort Worth. She loved people.”
Darden founded Fort Worth Black News in 1997 with her mother Chris Lott’s help to write about community leaders and activities without any particular agendas, she previously said. She was 23 at the time and had recently graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Fort Worth Black News owner/publisher Jill Darden celebrates 25 years
The newspaper operates with monthly editions featuring several guest contributors. For some time, the business ran as a local cable show in Cowtown before it was cast on the now-closed Urban America Television Network in the 2000s.
In recent years, Darden grew Fort Worth Black News’ online presence by using social media to update readers between the hard copy printing.
The newspaper’s future is not known at this time, her sister said.
Tarrant County Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. described Darden as a “truth-teller” who used her platform to lift up the people, places, churches, businesses, family and neighborhoods of Fort Worth’s Black community.
“She helped Fort Worth see itself more fully,” he said in a statement. “She celebrated our victories, documented our struggles and gave dignity to the everyday lives and contributions of people who make this community strong.”
Darden previously served as director of communications for the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce. She was honored with the Media Partnership Award from the Texas Association of African American Chambers of Commerce in 2023.
Fort Worth Black Chamber President Michelle Green-Ford said her team was shocked by Darden’s death, but that she will be remembered as being a “vibrant force.”
“She was a bold, articulate leader who saw service to others as her primary goal, that is second to being the number one cheerleader and supporter of her talented son, Jiles, who is a senior at the I.M. Terrell Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts,” Green-Ford said in a statement.
Tarrant County College board member Gwendolyn Morrison said she’ll miss Darden’s journalistic integrity and the “Spiritual Side” videos focused on Christianity that she posted every Sunday on Facebook.
Beyond her newspaper roles, Darden authored several books, including “The Assignment: Raising a Strong Child.”
Forest Hill Public Library manager Aurelia Wilson said Darden was a valued supporter who frequently partnered with the library district for author events.
Darden was scheduled to participate in the library’s second annual author expo on April 18, but was unable to attend “due to illness,” according to a Facebook post.
“Her legacy will live on through her stories, which will continue to inspire and uplift our community. Her voice will always be treasured,” Wilson wrote.
Memorial service details will be announced at a later date.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org/2026/04/27/fort-worth-black-news-founder-jill-darden-dies-at-52/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=513753&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://fortworthreport.org/2026/04/27/fort-worth-black-news-founder-jill-darden-dies-at-52/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/fortworthreport.org/p.js”></script>
