Preservation Events
Austin Symposium:
Visibilizing a Freedom Fighter
Our symposium “Visibilizing a Freedom Fighter, Silvia Hector Webber: A Legacy of Resistance & Black Freedom in North America” will be held at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin Texas on Saturday July 25, 2026. This symposium will not only highlight the Webber Family history in Texas but other descendants who have taken the lead in the preservation and restoration of their history, culture, and sites. Join us for a day of learning, empowering, and sharing.
Location: Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St, Austin, TX 78701
Date: Saturday, July 25th, 2026
Time: 10am - 7pm
RGV Symposium:
Descendants of Freedom Fighters
Our symposium “Visibilizing a Freedom Fighter, Silvia Hector Webber: A Legacy of Resistance & Black Freedom in North America” will be held at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin Texas on Saturday July 25, 2026. This symposium will not only highlight the Webber Family history in Texas but other descendants who have taken the lead in the preservation and restoration of their history, culture, and sites. Join us for a day of learning, empowering, and sharing.
Location: Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St, Austin, TX 78701
Date: Saturday, July 25th, 2026
Time: 10am - 7pm
DFW/SA Exhibit:
Exhibit: Risking Everything for Freedom
An exhibit on the acts of resistance by black women in the fight for freedom. Featuring the work of Dr. Rolonda Teal, PhD, Dr. Maria E. Hammack PhD, and Leslie Dutcher-Trevino & Descendants.
Location: Plano African American Museum, 900 13th St, Plano, TX 75074
Date: March - May, 2025
Briscoe Exhibit:
Freedom Papers
The Briscoe Center’s extensive archives on the American South preserve examples of how enslaved people did gain their freedom from a system that treated them as property. Documents defining this variously as “emancipation,” “manumission,” and “freedom papers” detail various methods, including travel to other states where those rights were inherent, or freedom purchased through a bond. Silvia Hector Webber’s story is one such example.
Location: Briscoe Center for American History, 2300 Red River St, Austin, TX 78712
Date: February - June, 2024
Bilingual Exhibit:
Freedom Pursuits - Prospecciones de Libertad: Mujeres
This exhibit was curated by Dr. Maria E Hammack and Leslie Dutcher-Trevino of The Webber Family Preservation Project and opened at the yearly Seminole Days Festival in Bracketville, Texas with a special speaking engagement.
Location: Bracketville Seminole Negro Indian Scouts Museum, 506 S Beaumont St, Brackettville, TX 78832
Date: September 2025 - February 2026
Día De Los Muertos:
Webber Cemetery Celebration
The Webber Family Preservation Project hosted a Dia De Los Muertos Celebration at the historical Webber Cemetery in Hidalgo county with descendants, preservation workers, community leaders and members all in attendance. This event also featured Folklorico dancers from Weslaco High School, of which a descendant of John and Silvia was one of. They were accompanied by Mariachi musicians from the Weslaco High School. In addition to the dancing and music, traditional calavera face painting was done, an ofrenda was made for descendants to pay honor and remember their ancestors at, Chalupa was played, and food was served. The event saw over 90 people in attendance come to learn more about the Webber Family history, their ties to Mexico and it’s culture and share stories!
Location: Webber Cemetery, Alamo, TX
Date: November 2, 2025