‘Voices at the Table’ Starts Sunday

People interested in discovering how race and ethnicity have played a part in Wimberley’s history and culture are invited to a new community forum that begins Sunday, Jan. 17.

Sandra Organ Solis is asking Wimberley and Hays County residents of all races to come alongside those “Voices at the Table” sharing their stories and to listen to other people bravely talking about their experiences.

“Everyone is invited to the table,” Sandra said, “particularly those people of color whose voices haven’t been afforded that opportunity.”

“Setting aside any partisan politics, and encouraging a listening space, my hope is to explore diverse perspectives within a historical context, while especially giving voice to those on the margins to not only promote understanding in our community, but expand the ways we can do better in including and celebrating them,” Sandra said.

“Here’s an opportunity to hear the voices you haven’t been hearing.”

The forum is a follow-up to community discussions that took place last year surrounding several local events.

Last summer, an African-American family who had been vacationing in Wimberley departed early after they found a racist note left on their cabin door. Many in the community were upset about what happened and some officials reached out to the family.

The Wimberley View then published a letter written by Sandra and her husband, Carlos Solis, that urged Wimberley residents to “lean in, read, discuss, do the work of unlearning and relearning your part of the narrative of who we are, and how we got to this moment of racial reckoning.”

Sandra and Carlos moved to Wimberley from Houston five years ago when he began working as Associate Vice President of Instructional Technology Services at Texas State University. Sandra, the first African-American ballerina with the Houston Ballet, is busy in the Wimberley community teaching and performing dance, yoga, swimming and choral arts.

“Dare to be part of thoughtful communities who offer roundtables, Zoom discussions, or book clubs—safe spaces willing to tease out your assumptions and privilege--with those who can be present with your discomfort,” the couple said in their letter. “Familiarize yourselves with your unconscious biases, claim your part in the narrative.”

A full-page advertisement stating “Wimberley is listening” was signed on to by nearly 200 local residents and businesses. Posters supporting the family were printed and displayed throughout Wimberley.

Sandra sees “Voices at the Table” as a way to continue this process. “Let’s start listening to the voices you haven’t been hearing,” Sandra said.

The monthly Zoom panels will start on the weekend prior to Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 17) and end on Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the United States. They are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the following Sundays: Jan. 17, Feb. 21, March 21, April 18, May 16 and June 19 or 20. Attendees should go to register for these free discussions at https://table.yosoyx.net for the Zoom panel discussions.

The first “Voices at the Table” this Sunday will explore the historic backdrop of the various races and ethnic groups in Wimberley and Hays County. Sandra has invited several prominent area historians and local residents to lead the discussion and hopes that anyone interested will join and share their own family stories.

Some of the panelists featured on the panels will be Dr. Elvin Holt, of San Marcos’ Calaboose Muse um, Pastor Jonafa Banbury, of the Dunbar Heritage Association in San Marcos, and Wimberley historians and authors Dr. Patrick Cox, Ana Suarez and Linda Allen, and residents that include Marissa Fehler and MaryGail Jacobsen, among others.

“The plan is to ask each speaker on the panels to share their knowledge of the area’s history and personal stories and suggest ways forward to acknowledge and improve our community to make it more equitable, just, and welcoming,” Sandra said.

In other months, she hopes to cover the experiences of Blacks in the community today, as well as Latinos, Asians, and Indigenous groups.

“I’d like Voices at the Table to nurture and celebrate the resilience of those who call Wimberley home and perhaps suggest reasons why more have not,” Sandra said.

“My hope is that through telling our stories and offering some ways forward, Voices at the Table will help us find a more nuanced narrative of who we are, why we are where we are at this moment, and how we might expand to be a more welcoming and affirming community.”

For more information, please contact Sandra Organ [email protected]. To register for the event, please go to https://table.yosoyx.net.