Final Voices at the Table: Time To Build Bridges

Voices at the Table this Sunday will celebrate its final chapter with not only a look back but a way to move forward.

It’s Juneteenth weekend, and the forum will hear how local Black communities have celebrated this holiday. The panel will include a descendant of one of the original families of the Peyton Colony, established by former slaves between Wimberley and Blanco.

“We will also take a look back at the past discussions of Voices at the Table, asking of our participants ways they intend to move forward with newfound revelations about racism in our past and present, as individuals and as a community seeking social justice and harmony,” said Sandra Organ Solís, who co-created the forum.

The final Voices at the Table will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 20, on Zoom. Anyone interested in joining must register at the following website: https://table.yosoyx.net.

Sandra and her husband, Carlos Solís, began Voic es at the Table in January as a follow-up to events that occurred last year that sparked community conversations of race relations in Wimberley.

“My part, as a woman of color and of faith in the unseen, was only to hold the space, to listen,” Sandra said, “—embodying the community on the patchwork quilt of a Zoom call, exposing the threads that lie underneath the tapestry we call home, finding connection for us all in the fabric that is our common humanity.”

Sandra sees the forum as a dance, not surprising because of her background as a dancer with the Houston Ballet and as a creator and teacher of dance.

“It has been a free flowing dance of themes and people from the community, and I have learned a lot about the nuances of racism experienced by each,” she said.

Panelists have included Americans of Black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous and white descent. They are local authors, college professors, students, parents, business owners, clergy and other residents of Wimber ley and Hays County. From 40 to 60 local residents have joined each forum to listen, ask questions and discuss the stories and issues presented.

Brown, Black and blended families spoke about their experiences in Wimberley and in the schools. Asian American residents discussed how their lives were affected by internment in Texas during World War II. Native Americans spoke about the people drawn to this area by its natural springs going back at least 5,000 years.

“My chief aim was, through stories, to build bridges, not walls,” Sandra said, “to start healing these divides, to be more welcoming and inclusive, to open our gates a little wider and expand our definition of neighborliness.”

Registration is required for anyone wishing to attend this Sunday’s Zoom forum, even those who registered for previous programs. Those interested in registering may do so at the following website: https://table.yosoyx.net.