Biography
Dr. Travis Wright is a historian specializing in U.S. and African American history, with a focus on twentieth century social movements, particularly the Civil Rights Movement. His research and teaching center Black social, cultural, and political history, with a particular focus on Black life beyond the South—especially in underexamined urban and rural communities across the Midwest.
Wright is currently editing the manuscript for his book, the first comprehensive study on the Friends of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee—a network of northern activists who supported southern freedom workers during the 1960s. His work highlights the crucial yet overlooked role Friends of SNCC played in sustaining the Civil Rights Movement by raising money, spreading information, and mobilizing northern support.
Wright's most recent publication, "Social Media and Continuity in the Black Freedom Struggle," explores the role of media, both historically and contemporarily, in social movements. His work highlighting the logistical and infrastructural underpinnings of the Civil Rights Movement has also been featured in Black Perspectives for the African American Intellectual History Society.
Courses Taught
Autumn 2025
Spring 2025
Winter 2025
Graduate Study Areas
Divisions
My graduate teaching fields include twentieth century U.S. and African American history. I approach fields broadly and work closely with students to tailor reading lists and areas of concentration to their individual interests and research goals. Once we determine a student’s specific interests and professional goals, students will choose one of the following concentrations:
Twentieth Century U.S. History
This concentration is designed to give students a broad grasp of twentieth century American history spanning from Reconstruction to the present.
Students preparing this field will generally develop broad familiarity with the major political, social, cultural, and intellectual transformations that shaped the United States from the late nineteenth century through the present. Reading will span a wide range of subjects, including politics, race, labor, migration, urban history, social movements, and state power. Depending on the student’s interests and goals, certain subjects, regions, or periods may be explored in greater depth.
Students taking twentieth American history as a first or second field are required to take HSTAA 522: US History, Late 19th Century to Present in addition to HSTRY 600, an independent reading course (Readings in Twentieth Century U.S. History) with me. Students doing a third and fourth field are also required to take HSTRY 600.
Twentieth Century African American History
This concentration focuses on twentieth century African American history with particular focus on migration, grassroots organizing, race and citizenship, the relationship between local activism and broader national and transnational political struggles, and social movements, including the civil rights and Black Power movements. This field emphasizes both foundational works in African American history and more recent scholarship that has challenged traditional narratives of the struggle for civil rights and Black political activism. Particular attention is given to historiographical debates surrounding the “long” civil rights movement, periodization, state power, movement infrastructures, and the relationship between everyday life and political resistance. Depending on the student’s interests and goals, certain subjects, regions, or periods may be explored in greater depth.
Students taking twentieth century African American history as a first or second field are required to take HSTAA 522: US History, Late 19th Century to Present in addition to HSTRY 600, an independent reading course (Readings in Twentieth Century African American History) with me. Students doing a third and fourth field are also required to take HSTRY 600.