Neval Thomas

Neval Hollen Thomas (January 6, 1874 – April 13, 1930) was a civil rights activist, high school teacher, and president of the Washington, D.C., local NAACP branch from 1925 to 1930.

Education and Teaching Career

Neval Hollen Thomas was born in 1874 in Springfield, Ohio. He attended public school in Ohio, then pursued a bachelor's degree at Howard University. Receiving his B.A. in 1901, he then enrolled in Howard Law School. Despite attaining his law degree in 1904 with hopes to go after a legal career, Thomas pursued teaching as a career instead.

Thomas taught American history for 19 years at M Street High School in Washington, D.C. At the time, M Street High School (later named Dunbar High School) was one of the most "prestigious and exceptional African American educational institutions to have ever existed in the United States." He worked well with the school boards and accomplished several projects to get a stadium and a greenhouse built for the student and faculty body.

Washington Riots The summer of 1919, also known as the Red Summer, brought great attention to Thomas. There was rioting on the streets of Washington between blacks and whites, and blacks armed themselves with guns to fight back. Thomas met with city officials, such as chief executive, Louis Brownlow, to discuss the events of the riots and encouraged something to be done immediately. As the fighting raged on in D.C., he helped obtain lawyers for imprisoned blacks, distributed pamphlets, and roamed the streets to help aid the rioters. Denouncing the city commissioner and chief of police, he claimed, “If you can’t protect us, we will arm and defend ourselves.” Even though Thomas pushed to end the riots, the congregation of blacks defending their rights on the streets impressed him.

He used his rhetorical capabilities to convince his audiences.

Role Outside the NAACP Thomas wrote an essay for The Messenger: a magazine produced by African-Americans that challenged racial segregation. He mentioned the lack of black policeman and firefighters in the city as well as unequal school funding between white and black schools.

Death and legacy Neval Thomas died on April 13, 1930, at age 56 due to ongoing health issues. Emma Merritt replaced him as head of the NAACP as the first woman president. However, by voicing his opinions and maintaining his outspoken, candid manor, he often developed hostility among his adversaries.

In his honor, Washington, D.C., established the Neval Thomas Elementary School on Anacostia Avenue, Washington, D.C.