? Silvia Webber, the "Harriet Tubman" of Texas

[phkrause]

Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios; Photos: The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley Digital Library

Descendants of Silvia Hector Webber — the first free Black woman in present-day Austin and the "Harriet Tubman" of the Underground Railroad to Mexico — are working to resurrect her story. Why it matters: Texas is one of many states that have passed laws limiting discussions about slavery in schools, and Webber's descendants say teaching her story is the best way to fight attempts to erase history, writes Axios' Russell Contreras. Driving the news: Webber's descendants announced that they've found new records showing she was 8 years old when she was sold along with her mother, Sarah, from an area near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Before the announcement at the Briscoe Center for American History, Webber had been a mysterious but influential figure in the often-overlooked Underground Railroad to Mexico. Between the lines: Webber's accomplishments would have remained unknown had it not been for Ohio State history professor María Esther Hammack, who found Webber's freedom papers and has been researching the topic for years.