Windsor man turning family history into art

Earlier this year, Teajai Travis, along with a CBC Windsor reporter, went to Virginia, Pennsylvania and Buxton, Ont., to learn more about the Travis family.

Now he's trying to raise money to turn his family's history into pieces of art.

"A novel, a play, into a collection of poetry, a record and just keep on pushing that narrative," said Travis. "To let people know there was a very heroic story that took place."

• Freedom Road: Teajai Travis traces his oldest known ancestor, a slave in Virginia, to where his family finally found freedom

He was able to trace back to 1745, when Richard Travis Sr. was born in Virginia. He self-liberated, bought some land in Pennsylvania, and started the first black settlement in Mercer County — a fugitive slave town, called Liberia.

"The intention of the project is to bring the information to the masses," he said.

First, Travis hopes to complete a one-man play 'Born Enslaved', then after raising enough money he hopes to round it out.

He'd like to "really bring to life the other characters, I suppose, the people that Richard Travis met along the way."

The art is being funded through grassroots efforts and a GoFundMe page, but Travis hopes once his play is complete he can apply for grants and funding.

He hopes more people can learn of his family's story and possibly inspire them.

"There's a lot of story out there that hasn't been uncovered yet. So maybe it will inspire people or encourage people to dig into their own family's story. On a personal level, I think my ancestor's story's pretty amazing."