Visibilizing a Freedom Fighter, Silvia Hector Webber
A Legacy of Resistance & Black Freedom in North America
Location: 600 River St, Austin, TX 78701
Date: Saturday, July 25th, 2026
Time: 10am - 7pm
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Cheryl J. LaRoche
Speaker List
Jumko Ogata Aguilar
Sofia Bravo
Colby Coppinger
Dr. DL Grant
Dr. Theresa Gatling
Windy GoodLoe
Dr. María Esther Hammack
Dr. Cheryl LaRoche
Tamara Lanier
Victorianna Mejia
Roger Sashington
Kimberly Simmons
Dr. Jazma Sutton
Dr. Rolonda Teal
Leslie Treviño
OJ Treviño
Corina Torralba
Dr. Angela Valenzuela
Dr. Javier Wallace
ZaDarius Webber
10:00-10:13 am
Welcome & Introduction of Keynote Speaker Dr. María Esther Hammack
10:15-11:00 am
Inaugural Keynote by Dr. Cheryl LaRoche
11:00-11:10 am
Brief Break
11:10-Noon
Panel 1: The Legacy of Silvia Hector Webber & the Role of Her Descendants in Reclaiming Her Story.
Chair: Dr. Theresa Gatling.
Speakers: OJ Treviño, Sofia Bravo, ZaDarius Webber, Victorianna Mejia.
Noon -1:00 pm
Panel 2: Beyond Harriet Tubman: Visibilizing Black Women’s Resistance in North America
Chair: Dr. Angela Valenzuela.
Speakers: Dr. Jazma Sutton, Dr. Rolonda Teal.
1:00 - 1:55 pm
Catered Lunch
2:00 - 3:15 pm
Panel 3: Bridging Underground Railroads: A Continental Overview of Freedom Pursuits
Chair: TBD.
Speakers: Kimberly Simmons, Corina Torralba, Russell Contreras.
3:15 - 3:30pm
Break
3:30 - 4:30 pm
Panel 4: The Consequence of Reclaiming Your Ancestors’ Stories.
Chair: Dr. DL Grant.
Speakers: Tamara Lanier, Windy GoodLoe, Roger Sashington.
4:30 - 4:40pm
Brief Break
4:40 - 5:40pm
Panel 5: The Webber Geographies of Resistance: A Digital Mapping Project
Chair: Leslie Treviño.
Speakers: Dr. Javier Wallace, Colby Coppinger.
5:40 - 6:40pm
Panel 6: Silvia’s Story in the Context of Mexican History & Black Liberation in North America.
Chair: Victorianna Mejia.
Speakers: Jumko Ogata Aguilar, Dr. María Esther Hammack.
6:45 - 7:00pm
Concluding Remarks, Dr. Angela Valenzuela