Visibilizing a Freedom Fighter Silvia Hector Webber: A Legacy of Resistance

Visibilizing a Freedom Fighter Silvia Hector Webber: A Legacy of Resistance takes over the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center on Saturday, July 25, from 10 AM to 7 PM. It's a full day of panels and a keynote centered on Silvia Hector Webber, a freedom fighter whose life and work the day frames around Black freedom in North America and the Webber family's history in Texas.

The day is part of the Webber Family Preservation Project, funded by the Mellon Foundation, and it puts the spotlight on the descendants who've led the work of preserving and restoring their family's history, culture, and sites. Dr. Cheryl LaRoche gives the keynote, and six panels follow, chaired by scholars including Dr. Theresa Gatling and Dr. Angela Valenzuela. The conversations cover a lot of ground: one looks at Black women's resistance beyond Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, another examines the consequences of reclaiming ancestors' stories, and a third introduces a digital mapping project of the Webber geographies of resistance.

The venue itself is part of the story. The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is described as a space rooted in community, culture, and the traditions that shape Austin, and it's just reopened to the public after nearly three years of renovation. The symposium is a joint effort with the City of Austin, Academia Cuauhtli, the Tejano Genealogy Society of Austin, and the League of United Latin American Citizens.

It's free to attend, though you'll need to RSVP on Eventbrite. The day runs from 10 AM to 7 PM at 600 River Street, Austin, TX 78701.