Javier Wallace

Javier is the “Master Storyteller.” Javier uses the spaces and places that we engage in our everyday lives to disrupt histories, ideas, and symbols. He believes the classroom is everywhere we are. Transforming the public space into a classroom, Javier has led guided tours across the world,. fFrom his birth city of Austin, Texas, to the Republic of Panama and other places. Currently, Javier is the inaugural Race and Sport Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University in the African and African American Studies Department. Javier's first book project, Sueños del Norte: Black Panamanian Hoop Dreams & the Realities of Basketball Trafficking, which explores basketball trafficking in U.S. High School Basketball. InN 2019, Javier founded Black Austin Tours, which is an educational travel company that centers the hisotryhistory, experiences and contributions of Black people in Central Texas. This work has led Javier to be seen on the Travel Channel, ESPN Longhorn Network, and The Discovery Channel documentary on self-emancipating Africans. Various articles have been written on Javier’s work in publications such as Conde Nast Travel, and Travel & Leisure. He was awarded the “Top Travel Influencer" in 2021 by The Texas Travel Awards. Javier is the co-founder of two other educational travel resources, BlackPackas and AfroLatinx Travel (ALT). ALT focuses on the Black Diaspora in Latin America and its Instagram account reaches over 17,000 followers and has been featured in publications such as Remezcla, Vibe Magazine and others. Javier completed his Ph.D. at The University of Texas at Austin. He also earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida A&M University, one of the country’s premier HBCUs, where he also played offensive lineman for the Rattler Football Team. He is of U.S. and Panamanian heritage and has served as athletic director and physical educator in the Republic of Panama.