Join us for a symposium on how descendants can research, preserve, and recover important legacies on their ancestors and how they can make these accessible to the public and public audiences.

We will have the founder of The Texas Freedom Colonies Project and Sister Outsider Preservation, Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning and Director for the Center of Cultural Landscapes at the University of Virginia Dr. Andrea Roberts PhD as our keynote speaker.

In addition to Dr. Roberts, we will have breakout sessions with classes, and speakers including;

• Dr. Mekala Audain PhD-Associate Professor of History University of New Jersey

• Dr. Martin Salina’s PhD- Director and head archivist of the Archivo Municipal and Museuo Histórico Reynosa Tamaulipas Mexico

• Dr. Ray Howard- Director Valley African American Culture and Heritage Council, member of the Hidalgo County Historical Commission

• Dr. Rolonda Teal PhD- Associate Professor of Anthropology at Houston Community College and Former program manager of Cane River National Heritage Area

• Dr. Maria E. Hammack PhD- Associate Professor of History at The University of Ohio, and historical advisor of the Webber Family Preservation Project

• ZaDarius Webber-Odum- Descendant of John and Silvia Hector-Webber

• Sofia Bravo- Descendant of John & Silvia Hector Webber, Vice President and co-founder of The Webber Family Preservation Project

• Omar Treviño- Descendant of John & Silvia Hector Webber and Secretary of The Webber Family Preservation Project

• Alexandra Briseno- Descendant of John & Silvia Hector-Webber, Librarian Manager of Archives and Records at the National Academies of Science Washington D.C.

• Leslie Dutcher-Trevino- Co-founder and president of The Webber Family Preservation Project.

This symposium is open to the public for free through funding provided by the Mellon Foundation and with support from the Museum of South Texas History. To learn more about work visit our website wfpptx.org

WFPPTX This organization's goals are to further the research and preservation in the history of the Webber family of Texas, the Webber Cemetery where John and Silvia are buried, theirs and other individuals examples in the pursuit of freedom on the journey to Mexico by way of the Underground Railroad into Mexico by the following initiatives:

•Obtaining a perpetuity grant for the preservation of the John and Silvia Webber Ranch Cemetery in Hidalgo County Texas
•.Application and approval for an undertold history marker by the Texas Historical Commission
•Application for listings through the National Parks registry of National Historical Markers as an independent site and as part of a historical corridor/district
•.Application for a UNESCO world heritage designation site.
•Creating community outreach and public educational initiatives with local community leaders and organizations
•Compiling and creating exhibits with museums, libraries, archives, and universities in Texas, the Borderlands, and across the United States
•Compiling a complete historical record of John & Silvia, their children, and connecting it to modern day living descendants

Descendants of Freedom Fighters: Sharing Our Collective Histories on the Borderlands