By Megan Wehring
After successfully coordinating a Black History Month program as a young teen, Vanessa Westbrook found her voice as a leader for marginalized communities — and she never looked back.
[pullquote]“I would never forget it,” Westbrook reminisced about her program decades later. “We would put on this special program for the community to come and partake in. Students would do various skits and activities, just a variety of things. I remember doing that in the 9th grade, being a part of that group and one of the coordinators who actually helped establish what that program was like.”[/pullquote]
Since then, Westbrook has prioritized countless community outreach ventures in Hays County above anything else.
About 12 years ago, Westbrook decided to settle in the city of Kyle after she discovered it was the “slice of heaven” between Austin and San Antonio where she would eventually retire. Westbrook is the proud mother of two daughters in their 30s with a toy chihuahua named Tinkerbell.
Prior to coming to Hays County, Westbrook worked in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field for years. While the STEM workforce has started to become more diverse over the years, only 7% of workers are Black, according to data from the Pew Research Center. Women are also underrepresented in some careers including computer jobs and engineering, but they are overrepresented as healthcare professionals.
Despite the Gap, Westbrook has held many roles in STEM: science instructor at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, director of science field services at the University of Texas at Austin and STEM education manager at the DoSeum in San Antonio.
As a member of the Hays County Historical Commission, Westbrook helped recognize the Kyle Family Pioneer Cemetery as a significant part of Texas history by establishing an Official Historic Texas Cemetery Marker in 2019.
Her first endeavor as the Chair of the African American Heritage Committee was collaborating with Black woman leaders across Hays County to plan events and proclamations for Black History Month. Westbrook credits this partnership with Sandra Bryant of Buda, Jonnie Wilson of the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, Ramika Adams of San Marcos, among others.
The Hays County Commissioners Court was the first to adopt the Black History Month proclamation during its Jan. 26 meeting and other city governments followed suit.
“We hope this is one of many events that we will do this year and years to come,” Westbrook said. “Hays is being progressive and proactive in addressing the achievements of African Americans in our county.”
Westbrook said celebrating Black History Month has always been a tradition for her.
“Being a part of Black History Month has been something I have known since I was a child,” Westbrook said. “You’re doing something special while being a part of programs and things like that.”
One of Westbrook’s many passions is ensuring that every person has a seat at the table.
[pullquote]“For a very long time, stories weren’t necessarily told correctly or African Americans were left out,” Westbrook said. “We have very educated African Americans now. We have lots of tools, social media and all kinds of ways to get the story out. So it’s not that the story wasn’t there, it just wasn’t told.”[/pullquote]
Though she may be retired, Westbrook continues to surprise many with her ambitious personality and contribution to society.
