Thrasher is originally from rural West Tennessee, where she grew as one of four children[1] in a Methodist family.
[5] Thrasher first became involved in the activist community while a student at Scarritt College where she joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee shortly after arriving on campus and learned the basics about grassroots organization and planning.
[10][11] These actions led to the founding of the Southern Students Organizing Committee, and Thrasher served as its first executive secretary.
[14][7] Thrasher's work in the civils rights movement is also covered in J. Anthony Lukas's book, Don't shoot we are your children,[15] which was reviewed by Kurt Vonnegut in Life magazine.
[16] In 1978 Thrasher transitioned to a job at the Highlander Center where she worked to organize their archives and conducting oral histories and sharing the stories with the public.