Celia: Justice After Death with Adriene Holder, Esq., and Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge

This episode Celia: Justice After Death, explores the life and legacy of Celia, an enslaved, pregnant teenager and mother in pre–Civil War Missouri who resisted sexual exploitation and was executed in 1855 after defending herself against her enslaver. Her case exposes the stark injustice embedded in Missouri’s antebellum legal system—a system that denied enslaved women legal protection from sexual violence while simultaneously holding them fully accountable under the law. Through the voices of Celia’s descendants, this conversation connects Celia’s lived experience to her 2024 gubernatorial pardon and to ongoing family-led efforts through the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation to advance truth-telling, reconciliation, and awareness of modern human trafficking. Celia’s story is not only history—it is an enduring call to justice. 

Adriene Holder is the third great-granddaughter of Celia and Robert Newsom and a Board Member of the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation, where she co-chairs the Family Heritage Committee and helps lead descendant-driven efforts to preserve Celia’s legacy through genealogy, oral history, and historical documentation. Through her legal advocacy and descendant leadership, Adriene is committed to advancing justice, preserving historical truth, and ensuring that Celia’s legacy continues to inform efforts to confront inequity and uphold human dignity today. 

Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge is the second great-granddaughter of Celia and Robert Newsom and the founding President of the Celia Newsom Legacy Foundation. She leads descendant-driven efforts to preserve Celia’s legacy and advance education, reconciliation, and justice.   Pamela is deeply committed to connecting historical truth with present-day systems change, ensuring that stories like Celia’s inform a more just and equitable future.

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