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Ralph Thomas (activist)

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Ralph Thomas
ONB
Born1938 (age 85–86)
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
OccupationActivist
SpouseJudith Meinert

Ralph Thomas ONB (born 1938) is a Canadian activist and former amateur boxer from Willow Grove, New Brunswick, Canada.[1] He was the president of Pride of Race, Unity and Dignity through Education (PRUDE), a New Brunswick-based organization promoting inclusion. He is also a co-founder of the New Brunswick Black History Society, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Black history in New Brunswick.[2]

Early life

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Thomas was born in 1938[2] in Saint John[3] and was raised in Willow Grove,[4] a nearby settlement founded by Black refugees.[5] Thomas grew up at a time where racism and racial segregation existed in Saint John, and siblings of his who lived there were restricted from entering certain establishments such as the Admiral Beatty Hotel.[6]

Early career

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For a large part of his career, Thomas worked in the automotive trade industry.[4] He also had a career in amateur boxing, in which he had a nickname "Tiger".[6]

In 1966, Thomas founded the New Brunswick Amateur Boxing Association and served as its president for 20 years.[7] He was also a 28-year long member of the board of directors of the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association.[8] In 1968, he created Golden Gloves, a boxing club based in Saint John.[2][7] In 1976, Thomas was inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame as well as the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.[7]

Activism

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In 1997, Thomas became the president of PRUDE Inc. (Pride of Race, Unity and Dignity through Education),[9] an advocacy group dedicated to assisting visible minorities and newcomers in Saint John.[6][8][10] Through his advocacy work, Thomas has educated young people in the province about Black history.[11]

In June 2010,[12] Thomas co-founded the New Brunswick Black History Society (NBBHS),[2] serving as the group's project coordinator.[13][14] Through his advocacy work with other NBBHS and PRUDE Inc. members, Thomas has done several presentations educating others about Black history in New Brunswick.[14] Through his work with the NBBHS, Thomas has contributed towards changing geographical names tied to racism and slavery,[15] renaming them to honour historical Black figures in the province such as Abraham Beverley Walker.[16][17]

Thomas has received multiple awards and accolades for his advocacy work, including the New Brunswick Human Rights Award in 2012,[2][8] an honorary doctorate from the University of New Brunswick in 2019,[2] the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers in 2020,[18] and the Order of New Brunswick in 2021.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Gill, Jordan (22 November 2020). "Historic Black settlement Willow Grove to be honoured by Canada Post". CBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Ralph 'Tiger' Thomas" (PDF). unb.ca. University of New Brunswick. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b Government of New Brunswick, Canada (18 August 2010). "2021 Order of New Brunswick recipients". www2.gnb.ca. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b Staff, Huddle (15 August 2021). "Retired Lifelong Saint Johners Would Live Nowhere Else But Here". Huddle. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Willow Grove, New Brunswick, and Amber Valley, Alberta stamps – launch of the 13th issue in Canada Post Black History Month series". NBM-MNB. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Press, Canadian (1 July 2020). "N.B. anti-racism activist among those receiving Canada Day honours from GG". EverythingGP. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Ralph "Tiger" Thomas". NBSHF. New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Ralph "Tiger" Thomas". MyNewBrunswick. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  9. ^ Government of New Brunswick, Canada (12 September 2012). "New Brunswick human rights awards presented". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  10. ^ "N.B. anti-racism activist among those receiving Canada Day honours from GG". National Post. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  11. ^ "'The change is going to come': Saint John community activist finds hope in the younger generation". Atlantic. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  12. ^ "About Us". NBBHS. New Brunswick Black History Society. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  13. ^ Burnett, Ben (29 June 2020). "Black History Society Seeks Permanent Home". Country 94. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Before Willie O'Ree: New Brunswick's surprising black history contributions". CBC News. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Push Underway To Change Racist Place Names In Saint John". 98.1 Charlotte FM. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  16. ^ Chávez, Diana (9 February 2021). "Saint John council to rename public places, street names tied to slavery". CBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  17. ^ "New Brunswick government asked to remove 'Negro' from place names in province | CityNews Vancouver". vancouver.citynews.ca. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Mr. Ralph Thomas". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
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