The African-American community has a rich history of youth organizing and civil rights leadership in the South. Organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Louisiana’s Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) created mobilizations for justice; leaders like Medgar Evers, Jerome Smith, and Fannie Lou Hamer showed us that political power always grew from the ground up; and young people like Ruby Bridges show us that in this historic tapestry of justice, it’s important that youth lead the way.
Following in this rich tradition of southern leadership, our partners at Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) have mobilized mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and allies, to fight for a Louisiana where no child is in prison. FFLIC’s organizing model is people and community-centered, anti-racist, and emphasizes empowering young people to ensure they have a seat at the organizing table —and that they also lead the organizing tables. We must uplift our courageous youth leaders who are upholding our legacy of resistance and change, charting a path forward for healing community care instead of the inhumane mass incarceration of children.
Saint Bernard Parish’s Antonio Travis came to FFLIC when he was 16 and has been organizing and building with FFLIC ever since. With over a decade of organizing experience, Antonio has a unique understanding of how to build power in communities and invest in youth and community leadership.
“You have to meet people where they are at,” Antonio told the Youth First Justice Collaborative. “You have to really take time to foster those relationships so that they can evolve into the advocates and organizers that they need to be. That work has to be intentional, or you’re not developing real leaders. If you are doing the real work and trying to attack the root causes of issues, then you know that you have to really go get down in there with those families, those young people. You have to really invest that time and capacity into it. That’s the only way I know how to do it.”
Listen and share our interview with Antonio on Instagram here.
Antonio and members of FFLIC demonstrated exemplary leadership in their successful campaign against the detention of youth at the notorious Angola State Penitentiary. Built atop a former plantation, this adult facility has a sordid history of racial disparity and extreme violence. Since October 2022, 70-80 children, almost all Black boys, have been housed in the former death row of Angola and subjected to abusive conditions, including solitary confinement. On September 15th, 2023, following a federal lawsuit and mobilization from FFLIC, the state of Louisiana announced it would move children out of Angola.
Antonio and our partners at FFLIC are advancing the rich tradition of civil rights organizing and leadership in the South and blazing new paths for Louisiana’s system-involved youth. As FFLIC continues to work to free Louisiana youth, we are reminded of this quote by Ruby Bridges, “When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is you!”
