Civil Rights Activist and Author
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Key moments and achievements from Brenda Travis's life.
Brenda was born
· California, USA
Activism Roots
After witnessing her brother's warrantless arrest at age 10, Travis was deeply moved by the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. The publication of Till's photos in Jet magazine served as a primary catalyst for her commitment to justice. She later described her activism as something that was predetermined from the womb.
Activism Roots
After witnessing her brother's warrantless arrest at age 10, Travis was deeply moved by the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. The publication of Till's photos in Jet magazine served as a primary catalyst for her commitment to justice. She later described her activism as something that was predetermined from the womb.
Arrest
At age 15, Travis was arrested for participating in a sit-in at the whites-only lunch counter of the Greyhound bus station. She was recruited by SNCC organizer Bob Moses and served as the president of the local NAACP Youth Council. This act of defiance resulted in a 28-day incarceration in the Pike County Jail.
Arrest
At age 15, Travis was arrested for participating in a sit-in at the whites-only lunch counter of the Greyhound bus station. She was recruited by SNCC organizer Bob Moses and served as the president of the local NAACP Youth Council. This act of defiance resulted in a 28-day incarceration in the Pike County Jail.
Protest
Following her expulsion for activism, Travis inspired more than 115 students to walk out of Burglund High School in protest. The students marched to City Hall singing We Shall Overcome and knelt in prayer before being arrested. Travis was subsequently sent to the Oakley Training School, a juvenile reformatory, for over six months.
Protest
Following her expulsion for activism, Travis inspired more than 115 students to walk out of Burglund High School in protest. The students marched to City Hall singing We Shall Overcome and knelt in prayer before being arrested. Travis was subsequently sent to the Oakley Training School, a juvenile reformatory, for over six months.
Relocation
Travis was released from the Oakley Training School on the strict condition that she leave Mississippi within 24 hours. She was taken in by SNCC Executive Director Jim Forman in Atlanta before moving to Connecticut to finish high school. She eventually settled in California in 1966 to attend business school.
Relocation
Travis was released from the Oakley Training School on the strict condition that she leave Mississippi within 24 hours. She was taken in by SNCC Executive Director Jim Forman in Atlanta before moving to Connecticut to finish high school. She eventually settled in California in 1966 to attend business school.
Award
Fifty years after her expulsion, the McComb School District awarded Travis an honorary high school diploma in 2011. She went on to establish the Brenda Travis Historical Education Foundation in 2013. The foundation was designed to teach civil rights history and foster leadership among the youth of McComb.
Award
Fifty years after her expulsion, the McComb School District awarded Travis an honorary high school diploma in 2011. She went on to establish the Brenda Travis Historical Education Foundation in 2013. The foundation was designed to teach civil rights history and foster leadership among the youth of McComb.
Publication
Travis published her memoir, Mississippi's Exiled Daughter: How My Civil Rights Baptism Under Fire Shaped My Life. The book detailed her experiences as a teenage activist and the impact of her forced departure from her home state. It served as a definitive account of her role in the McComb movement.
Publication
Travis published her memoir, Mississippi's Exiled Daughter: How My Civil Rights Baptism Under Fire Shaped My Life. The book detailed her experiences as a teenage activist and the impact of her forced departure from her home state. It served as a definitive account of her role in the McComb movement.
Brenda Travis passed away
