[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.
____________________