JAMES EMERSON DENNIS SCHOLARSHIP ESTABLISHED

  

A scholarship fund has been established in memory of a local civil rights leader that passed away last year.

An account has been set up at the Bank of Brenham to fund the James Emerson Dennis Memorial Scholarship.

Dennis served his country in the Air Force, and was a college professor at Cal State-Northridge for 35 years.

In 1961, he became a member of the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders were a mixed race group that rode buses throughout Southern states to protest racial segregation.

Dennis was among a group of Freedom Riders that were arrested and charged with “breach of peace” in Jackson, Mississippi.

He spent forty days in the infamous Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm, which was known for its cruel and inhumane treatment of African-American prisoners.

Dennis achieved a lifelong dream of moving back home to Brenham in 2006.

He passed away on December 5, 2021 with one of his final goals being the establishment of a Black History Club at Brenham High School.

The inaugural club is made up of 29 students, 11 of which are seniors. The sponsors are Jason Barber and Charles Bradford.

The $5,000 James Emerson Dennis scholarship will be awarded later this year to a Black History Club member.

The Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church in Brenham, where Dennis was a member for over 50 years, is serving as the administrator for the scholarship fund.

Donations to the fund are currently being taken at the Bank of Brenham.