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Johnny B. Thomas
JOHNNY B. THOMAS
Johnny B. Th omas, a native of Glendora, Mississippi, grew up on a plantation
in the Mississippi Delta where his parents were sharecroppers. After leaving
the plantation, his fi rs...view moreJOHNNY B. THOMAS
Johnny B. Th omas, a native of Glendora, Mississippi, grew up on a plantation
in the Mississippi Delta where his parents were sharecroppers. After leaving
the plantation, his fi rst job was running a local juke joint. After this harrowing
experience, he shifted his focus towards entrepreneurship, owning and
operating a series of businesses, and political activism. During the 1960s and
1970s, he became an active part of the civil rights movement in Glendora and
Tallahatchie County. His public service career includes Constable, Alderman,
and County Supervisor before being elected Mayor of Glendora in 1982. For
the past 35 years, he has led his town through many trials and tribulations, before fi nally fulfi lling
his dream of opening the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center in honor of Emmett Till, who was
murdered just a short distance from where he lives. His entire life has been devoted to combating
racial discrimination and injustice, and improving the quality of life of the people of Glendora.
THOMAS J. DURANT, JR
Th omas J. Durant, Jr., author, scholar, entrepreneur, speaker, and community
volunteer, is Professor of Higher Education in the Executive Ph.D. Program
at Jackson State University and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Louisiana
State University. He has authored or co-authored four books: Plantation
Society and Race Relations: Th e Origins of Inequality; Our Roots Run Deep:
History of the River Road African American Museum; History of the Charity
Hospitals of Louisiana: A Story of Poverty, Politics, Public Health, and Public
Interest; and A View from the Inside…Th irty-Six Years of Desegregation.
He has published numerous articles in scholarly journals and has traveled
extensively in Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and South America. He is a
native of Mansfi eld, Louisiana. He is a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.view less
Books by Johnny B. Thomas
A Stone of Hope: Rising Above Slavery, Jim Crow, and Poverty in Glendora, Mississippi