In celebration of Black History Month, civil rights activists and successful businessman, Hank Thomas, is the keynote speaker at the Albany State University Center for Teaching, Learning and Scholarship lecture series, at 9:50 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Student Center Ballroom located on the campus. 

Thomas is one of the original Freedom Riders, who in 1961 rode buses in the South to test compliance to the Interstate Commerce Commission ruling interstate travel to desegregate.  He is a survivor of the infamous Anniston, Ala., bus burning and was imprisoned in Parchman, Miss., for participating in a second Freedom Ride from Montgomery, Ala., to Jackson, Miss.

In 1965, he served in the Vietnam War as a medic. After being injured in battle, he came home with a purple heart.

As a businessman, Thomas has owned and operated several McDonald’s restaurants, a Burger King restaurant, a Dairy Queen restaurant, and a Marriot hotel franchise.

Hank Thomas

Thomas attended Howard University. He received the Buffalo Soldier Award from Howard University in 2006 and was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in 2011.

Each year, Albany State University provides a diverse group of speakers ranging from motivational speakers to celebrities, athletes, business professionals, social and political advocates, as well as, individuals from governmental agencies and the medical field.

The Albany State University Lecture Series is a component of the Improving Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Activity funded by Title III.