You're Invited!

Join us for a powerful and thought-provoking evening of community connection and conversation as we explore the impact of highway development on the displacement of Indigenous communities in Austin.

Led by Rethink35 Board Member Folasade Fashina, this dynamic panel discussion will feature insightful perspectives from local voices, including Pedro Escobar Hernandez, Jr. of PODER, and other community leaders. Folasade will guide the conversation with key questions, and attendees will have the opportunity to join in during a live Q&A session.

Stick around afterward for free food, drinks, and open dialogue—a chance to connect, reflect, and build together.

This is the second event in a series of panels and discussion on the impact of highways and displacement and what we can do about it.

Panel Moderator

Folasade Fashina currently works with Street Forum and Queertopia, two mutual aid groups focused on unhoused communities in Austin. Folasade’s lived experience was her primary motivation to join Rethink35, as she was raised on the East side of Austin and has been directly impacted by the negative effects of highway expansion her entire life. She also wanted to ensure that there was a representation for minoritized people from Austin in leadership of the organization. As a part of the community outreach group, she focuses on organizing outreach in communities that have been in the city for generations and looks forward to continuing to ensure that our voices remain heard.

Panelists

Pedro Escobar Hernandez, Jr. is a native Austinite that was born in East Austin and grew up in the Montopolis neighborhood, where he currently lives. He is a proud father of two daughters and three grandchildren.

Pedro is an environmental and social justice advocate for PODER and has worked on many issues ranging from voter education and registration, Covid Rapid Response Team Community Outreach, preserving the Colorado River, fighting CapMetro to get fair fares for the new light rail, to educating our youth through the Young Scholars for Justice Leadership Development Workshop with PODER. He has been with PODER since 2016.

Pedro is the Chair for Vasquez Fields Neighborhood Association and is an Executive member of the Montopolis Neighborhood Association. As a member of the Montopolis Neighborhood Planning Contact Team he has fought developers to keep his community affordable for those currently living there. He was a member of the Project Connect Community Investment and Wealth Building Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Austin Latino Coalition and the Texas Anti-Poverty Project and many other local organizations. Pedro is a 2018 recipient of the Cesar E. Chavez Si Se Puede Award which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated leadership in changing lives and transforming communities.

Noé Elias is an educator, community organizer, and advocate for social and environmental justice based in Austin, Texas. With a strong commitment to Land Justice, Housing Justice, and Environmental Justice, Noé works to address the pressing issues facing his East Austin community of Montopolis.

Originally from Querétaro, Mexico, Noé immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 8. He grew up in Montopolis, where he continues to live with his wife and two children.

Noé has over 13 years of experience teaching in the Austin Independent School District, he has had the privilege of working as a Dual Language educator in his neighborhood school, serving the students and families of Montopolis and East Oltorf.

As an organizer, Noé currently serves as the Land and Housing Justice Director at PODER (People Organized for the Defense of Earth and her Resources). He brings a wealth of experience in community organizing and coalition-building, particularly focused on environmental and social justice issues within Montopolis and beyond.

In addition to his work with PODER, Noé collaborates with Start:Empowerment to develop environmental justice curricula and works closely with educators, teachers, and community organizations across Texas to expand the organization’s reach and impact.

Noé is an active member of several community organizations, including Community Powered ATX, Montopolis Neighborhood Association, Montopolis CDC, Allison PTA, Education Austin, and the Austin Community Development Commission.