Hank Thomas facts for kids

Henry "Hank" James Thomas (born August 29, 1941) is an African American who worked hard for equal rights. He is also a successful business owner. Hank Thomas was one of the first 13 Freedom Riders. These brave people traveled on buses through the southern United States in 1961. They protested against racial segregation, which meant keeping Black and white people separate. They held peaceful protests at bus stops.

Hank Thomas continued to be important in the Civil Rights Movement. He helped start the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). This group worked for civil rights using peaceful methods. He also took part in many other Freedom Rides. Later, in 1965, he served as a medic in the Vietnam War. He was hurt during a battle and received a special award called the Purple Heart.

Today, Hank Thomas is honored at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. His name is on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

Growing Up and Learning

Hank Thomas was born on August 29, 1941, in Jacksonville, Florida. His mother, Tina R. Heggs, taught him to read when he was only four years old. She had only gone to school until the sixth grade. Hank was raised by his stepfather and spent most of his childhood in St. Augustine, Florida.

He started speaking out against unfair treatment early in his life. In a book called Breach of Peace, Hank Thomas said that "rebellion came natural" to him. When he was about nine or ten, he corrected a white insurance man who did not show respect to his aunt. Later, when Black people were not allowed to check out books from the library, Hank would bring his own books there to read. As he grew older, he took part in sit-ins. These were protests where people would sit in places they were not allowed, like white-only lunch counters. He also sat in white-only seats on local buses.

College Life and Activism

Hank Thomas went to Howard University in Washington D.C. While there, he joined many lunch counter sit-ins. He also became one of the people who helped create the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). His desire to fight for civil rights grew stronger when he heard about the Greensboro sit-ins. These protests inspired him to become an organizer of early civil rights actions in Maryland and Virginia.

Hank Thomas was arrested for the first time at a movie theater in Hyattsville, MD. He tried to buy tickets at a movie theater that was only for white people. They would not let him buy tickets because he was Black. He waited there, and eventually, the police arrived and arrested him.

He explained his first arrest: "My first arrest came in the Hyattsville, MD. There's a movie theater there that, of course, we could not go in. And we went there to buy tickets, prearranging we wouldn't move out of the way for other people to buy tickets. That's when I was arrested. That was the beginning."

The Freedom Rides

On May 4, 1961, Hank Thomas joined the first group of Freedom Riders. He was not originally planning to go. But his roommate, John Moody, who was supposed to join, became sick. So, Hank Thomas took his place.

Hank Thomas shared how he became a Freedom Rider: "My roommate John Moody had been accepted as a Freedom Rider, and at the last minute, he couldn't go. I don't know whether it was for illness on his part or some illness in his family. It was too late for them to start interviewing around for someone else, and he suggested, 'Well, why don't you take my roommate?' They looked at my age, and they wanted somebody 21 or over. When I went to see them, I'm a big tall fella so I looked big for my age. [Laughs.] But I still say that they just didn't have time to talk to anyone else so that's how I got selected. [Laughs.]"

Attack in Anniston

The Freedom Rides went as planned until May 14, 1961, which was Mothers' Day. The Greyhound bus Hank Thomas was riding was heading into Anniston, Alabama. Anniston had many African-American residents and a strong NAACP group. However, it also had some very aggressive members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Hank Thomas felt a strange feeling as the bus arrived at the Anniston station. Soon, a mob of about 50 people, led by a Klan leader, surrounded the bus. The mob had weapons. They threw things, broke windows, and tried to hurt the riders. The Anniston police took a long time to arrive. When they did, they escorted the bus to the city limits.

As soon as the bus left the city limits, the police escorts left. The mob, who had followed in cars and trucks, attacked the bus again. Two flat tires made the bus stop on the side of the road. This left the riders open to the mob. Someone threw a burning bundle of rags through a window, setting the bus on fire. Hank Thomas and the other riders were able to get out because the mob scattered when they heard the bus might explode.

Hank Thomas was the first person to get off the burning bus. As he got out, a man asked, "Are you all OK?" Before anyone could answer, the man smiled and hit Hank Thomas in the head with a baseball bat. He fell to the ground and almost passed out.

Eventually, a fuel tank exploded, and police fired warning shots. This finally broke up the crowd. Almost all the Freedom Riders needed medical help. However, the hospital they were taken to did not give them much care. Another rider, Genevieve Hughes, said about Hank Thomas's hospital visit: "I understand they did not do anything at all for Hank."

Continuing the Fight

The first Freedom Ride ended soon after the events in Anniston. Even though Hank Thomas was hurt and scared, he joined a second Freedom Ride ten days later. This ride went from Montgomery, Alabama, to Jackson, Mississippi. This time, he was arrested and spent time in the Parchman State Prison Farm.

Hank Thomas was later released on bail. On August 22, 1961, he became the first Freedom Rider to appeal his conviction for disturbing the peace. The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld his conviction in 1964. However, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it in 1965.

Life After the Movement

After the Freedom Rides and the Vietnam War, Hank Thomas moved to Atlanta. He believed Atlanta was the best place for Black middle-class people at that time. There, he became an entrepreneur, which means he started his own businesses.

First, he opened a laundromat with a friend. Then, he worked his way up in the franchise business. He became the owner of a Burger King and two Dairy Queen restaurants. Eventually, he owned six McDonald's restaurants. Today, he owns four Marriott Hotels, two Fairfield Inns, and two TownePlace Suites.

Awards and Honors

Hank Thomas was honored at a Freedom Fighters Appreciation Banquet in 1992. He is the President of the Hayon Inc. Group, which owns three McDonald's restaurants in Atlanta. He also leads Victoria Hospitality Properties Inc., which manages the four Marriott Hotels.

Hank Thomas has served on the boards of several important organizations. These include the APEX Museum, the Butler Street YMCA, the Atlanta Youth Academy, and Atlanta's Boys and Girls Club. He was also a Vice Chair of the Piney Woods Country Life School in Jackson, Mississippi. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Talladega College and Morehouse Medical School. He is also the National Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Riders 50th Reunion Foundation.

In 2006, Hank Thomas received the "Buffalo Soldier" Award from Howard University. In 2011, he was added to the International Civil Rights "Walk of Fame." He also received the "For my People" Award and the Rabbi Perry Nausbaum Civil Justice Award. In addition, McDonald's Inc. gave him the 365Black Award.

Hank Thomas continues to be active in his community. He is a lifetime member of the NAACP. He and his wife, Yvonne, have two children and four grandchildren.