[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING JOHNNY B. THOMAS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 4, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. 
Johnny B. Thomas of Glendora, Mississippi. Mr. Thomas is also the Mayor 
of Glendora, March 16, 1982 to current.
  Since this month is February, which is Black History month, and 
considering the historical journey Mr. Thomas has traveled, I felt he 
deserves to be honored. His present is tied to his history which is 
tied to an era, a place, and his parents.
  Era: He was born November 30, 1953 in Glendora, MS at a time when the 
State of Mississippi was a segregated society. He got his early 
education on life as he traveled the dirt roads of Glendora, the 
plantations and cotton fields of Tallahatchie County and the juke 
joints.
  In 1953 the United States was engaged in a discussion on ending 
segregation in schools. At the same time, Mississippi was making plans 
to prevent it, should it become a federal law. In 1954 the United 
States Supreme Court in Brown vs. Board of Education outlawed 
desegregation in schools. There were glaring disparities between Black 
and White communities. The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission was 
established in 1956. Disenfranchisement laws like Poll taxes and 
literacy tests were widespread across the State to keep Blacks from 
voting.
  The Place: The County is Tallahatchie, also known as ``The Free State 
of Tallahatchie.'' The place is Glendora and the year is 1955. Glendora 
is a small rural town that has always maintained a very small 
population. It is also one of the places tied to moments in history 
which helped fuel the civil rights movement. The events were the August 
28, 1955 murder of Emmett Louis Till, and the December 1955 murder of 
Mr. Clinton Melton and his wife, Beulah Melton in March 1956. Although 
he was still a child the effects of this would follow him the rest of 
his life. No longer was Glendora unknown after this; in fact overnight 
it became an international sensation, forever having its own grey 
cloud.
  His Parents: Mr. Thomas was the second child of twelve born to Mr. 
Henry Lee Loggins and Ms. Adeline Hill. His parents were Mississippi 
sharecroppers. His mother worked in a juke joint called King Place. 
King Place became well known as it was tied to the Emmett Till murder 
as the place where reporters went to get information and answers about 
rumors of Blacks having been involved in the murder. His mother was 
that witness. He often worked in King Place to earn money as a young 
boy. His father, Henry Lee, worked as an overseer for J.W. Milam on his 
farm. J.W. Milam along with his brother, Roy Bryant, were the two white 
men charged with and acquitted of the murder of Emmett Louis Till. His 
father had to make a life altering decision after being accused of 
participating in the Emmett Till murder. After death threats on his 
life and his family, he decided to leave Glendora and go into hiding to 
protect the family. Mr. Thomas made it his life-long quest to clear his 
father's name.
  His Present: He said he has an etched memory of the hardships of 
Black folk in the segregated south, the Glendora murders and how they 
affected his family. It was through those experiences and others that 
he gained the wisdom and passion for helping his people and ultimately 
led to him becoming a civil rights activist in Tallahatchie County. He 
never shied away from a challenge or ran from danger.
  Mr. Thomas has been an entrepreneur, giving it up only to answer his 
calling to public service. In 1975 he became the first Black constable 
in Tallahatchie County. In 1982, he became the second Black Mayor of 
Glendora.
  In 1985 he became the first Black elected County Supervisor. A strong 
countywide effort was launched against him as the first Black 
supervisor even though the district in which he won was eighty percent 
Black. The case was taken all the way to the Mississippi State Supreme 
Court within thirty days of being elected. The results were not in his 
favor as the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned the election result 
and Mr. Thomas was removed from office. The NAACP selected him to serve 
on the original Redistricting Committee on Voting in the County. The 
challenges he experienced and knowledge he gained made him take the 
stand as a plaintiff in several lawsuits opposing countywide 
redistricting plans in the years 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010.
  As the Mayor of Glendora, he has established the Emmett Till Historic 
Intrepid Center (ETHIC) which is a state of the art Museum. He is also 
credited with the creation and incorporation of the Glendora Economic 
and Community Development Corporation. To his credit is also the Emmett 
Till Memorial Park and Nature Trail. This trail is located on the 
infamous Black Bayou which is the initial drop-off site of Emmett 
Till's body, according to his father, Henry Lee Loggins.
  The Black Bayou is also the same body of water in which the drive-off 
and murder of Mrs. Beulah Melton took place. Mr. Thomas's vision for 
Glendora has expanded to now include the Glendora Sonny Boy Williamson 
Bed and Breakfast. Every year to address healthcare for citizens, he 
and the town host an annual Breast Cancer awareness and screening to 
provide free breast cancer screening to all citizens. This effort is 
made possible through Calvary Baptist Church of New York, NY and 
Partners in Development of Boston, MA.
  Mr. Johnny B. Thomas, a man created by an era, a place, and events 
but made for today. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing this member of Black History, Mr. Johnny B. Thomas, the 
honorable Mayor of Glendora from the Second Congressional District of 
Mississippi.

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