One of the joys of our work at FCS is getting to know the families and neighbors who have anchored our community for decades – often before it was even called Historic South Atlanta! These are the families who have rooted themselves in this neighborhood and sown the seeds of flourishing that are growing today.
Brenda Trammell’s family is one of those families. Her grandparents bought their home on Gammon Avenue in 1946, and it has been the family home ever since. “Me, my children, and my grandchildren – we’re raising the fourth generation here,” Brenda says. Her family has seen “a lot of changes and a lot of transitions,” in the neighborhood, and they have weathered them all with love and pride.
Born on Bowen Avenue, Brenda’s mother attended Clark University for college. One day, while washing blinds in the front yard with her sister, Brenda’s mother saw and greeted two students from the nearby Gammon Theological Seminary. Those two young men would become her father and her uncle. After Brenda’s parents married, the family moved to Mississippi until her father suffered a heart attack, passing away suddenly. Brenda was 18 months old. Her mother moved back to Historic South Atlanta, and Brenda has lived here ever since.
School and education was always a high priority in her family. Brenda says her family’s “core values” are family, love, religion, and education. “My entire family is made up of educators – my grandmother, mother, and aunt,” Brenda laughs. As a girl, she attended Jessie Mae Jones Elementary, Sutton Middle School, and North Fulton High School. “After graduation, my family said ‘Oh, Brenda – you’re going to be a teacher,’” Brenda recalls. But after attending a semester at University, Brenda decided to chart her own course, choosing instead to start a career in the workforce and a family first.
In 2014, Brenda began caring for her aging mother, and decided that the time had come to continue her studies. She enrolled in classes at Georgia State University. “All my instructors were younger than I was,” Brenda recalls. “I was scared of them, but I realized that they were scared of me, too. I started reaching out and connecting. To this day I’ve been to my instructors’ and classmates’ baby showers and weddings, and I’ve made lifelong friends.” She even made the President’s List for high-achieving students!
Finally, it was time to graduate… in spring of 2020. With the onset of Covid, Brenda adjusted to online classes, delayed starts, and a modified graduation ceremony that her daughter had to watch online. Despite all the challenges, Brenda achieved her goal and earned a Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Learning Development – plus she is working on a Master’s in Literacy Education. “I’m glad to be an inspiration to my children and grandchildren,” she says. Inspiration is an understatement!
These degrees are the perfect complement to all that Brenda has already been doing in South Atlanta. She’s on the founders wall of Carver Market. She is participating in a leading group of residents who are exploring early education opportunities in South Atlanta. This past September, she even led a tour of Gammon Avenue to commemorate the South Atlanta Race Massacre.
Through it all, we’ve appreciated Brenda’s strong voice and commitment to seeing South Atlanta thrive. “I love being seasoned,” she says, “In my immediate family, I’m the matriarch.” She regularly checks in on neighbors in the community, including an 101-year-old woman living alone within walking distance. Brenda smiles, “She calls me and asks what’s wrong if I don’t check up on her often enough.”
When Brenda talks about caring for neighbors, she’s clear that it’s part of being a community, simply saying, “We’re all connected in some kind of way.” she says. Whether she’s talking with her neighbor (they’ve lived next door to one another since 1961) or teaching adults to read during her internship at City of Refuge, Brenda touches everyone she encounters.
That interconnectedness is part of what makes South Atlanta strong. Generations of people like Brenda and the Trammells have flourished here and nurtured others. At FCS, we recognize that tapping into their unique wisdom and vision is essential to seeing neighbors thrive for decades to come. That’s why with every initiative, we’re thinking of how to include neighbors like Brenda and make sure we can nourish their roots here in South Atlanta.
This is one reason why we’re eager to launch a new initiative in 2024 – one that will support homeowners in maintaining their homes in the face of rising costs. FCS will be making a concerted initiative to support seniors as they remain in the community by helping to repair and maintain their homes.
In order to recognize and retain the elders who have empowered our community, we want to support them in remaining in their place. We would love your help! Click here to learn more and see how you can support the effort.
