Velma Maia Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Reverend
Velma Maia Thomas
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| Born | 18 June 1955 Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Education | Howard University, Emory University, Georgia State University. |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Notable works | Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation |
| Notable awards | Alex Award (1998) |
Velma Maia Thomas, born on June 18, 1955, is an American author and scholar. She is known for her important work on African American history. Her books and projects often focus on the history of slavery and freedom in the United States.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Velma Maia Thomas was born in Detroit, Michigan. She studied journalism at Howard University. Later, she earned a master's degree in political science from Emory University. She also has a special certificate in preserving historical places from Georgia State University.
Velma Maia Thomas is also an ordained minister. She serves at the Church of the Black Madonna in Atlanta.
Her Work and Career
Velma Maia Thomas has dedicated her career to sharing the stories of African American history. She especially focuses on the time of slavery and how people gained their freedom in the United States.
From 1987 to 2000, she worked at the Shrine of the Black Madonna Bookstore and Cultural Center in Atlanta. There, she created a special collection called the Black Holocaust Exhibit. This exhibit helped people learn about the history of slavery in America.
Books by Velma Maia Thomas
Based on her work with the Black Holocaust Exhibit, Velma Maia Thomas wrote several interactive books. These books help readers understand the journey from slavery to freedom.
Her books include:
- Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation (1997)
- Freedom's Children: The Passage from Emancipation to the Great Migration (2000)
- No Man Can Hinder Me: The Journey from Slavery to Emancipation Through Song (2001)
- We Shall Not Be Moved (2002)
She also co-authored Emancipation Proclamation: Forever Free with Kevin McGruder in 2013. Velma Maia Thomas has contributed to other books as well. For example, she wrote a chapter for Albert Cleage Jr. and the Black Madonna and Child (2016). She also wrote the introduction for Finding A Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealogy and Historical Identity (1999).
Other Contributions
Velma Maia Thomas has shared her knowledge in many ways. She has written for academic journals, which are special magazines for scholars. One of her articles was about a historic Black town.
In 2012, she was an expert on a PBS documentary. The show was called Underground Railroad: The William Still Story. She helped explain the history of the Underground Railroad.
She has also been a visiting scholar at the Penn Center in South Carolina. She also taught at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.
Awards and Recognition
Velma Maia Thomas's work has received several awards. These awards show how important and impactful her books are.
- Her first book, Lest We Forget, won an Alex Award in 1998. This award is given by the American Library Association.
- Freedom's Children was a finalist for the Georgia Writer of the Year Award in 2000.
- We Shall Not Be Moved received an award in 2003 from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.
- In 2004, she won an award for her excellent research using historical records.
