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Constance Thomas.

Constance Thomas

Constance Thomas (born July 13th, 1917) is known for being an actress, speech therapist and civil rights activist.

Parents

Constance was born in Seattle, Washington to parents Edward Alexander and Marjorie Marian Allen Pitter. Both Edward and Marjorie were involved in the civil rights movement. Edward was born in Jamaica and left when he was 14 to Washington. He established himself as a political leader. He worked in political democratic clubs, appointed deputy sheriff, and county clerk. He also wrote many publications one being, "Who's Who in the State of Washington" (Cite this).

Education

Constance attended public school in Seattle. She eventually went on to the University of Washington in 1935. She majored in speech and minored in drama and sociology. Outside of the classroom, Thomas was very involved in the theater department.

Thomas graduated from the University of Washington in 1939. She then decided to stay another year to complete her education degree.

Post-College

After graduation, it was difficult for her to find teaching jobs. In 1943, She decided to move to New York City, hoping for more career opportunities. She started working with the American Negro Theater while teaching in Harlem for two years.

Career

Thomas returned to Seattle for a visit in 1945, and became ill. Her doctor's advised that she not return to New York. She tried to find teaching positions for eleven years and had no luck. She was then hired in Seattle Public schools as a substitute in speech therapy. There, she received training to work with people with hearing imparities and cerebral palsied. She remained working with the Seattle Public School system for eighteen years. She became physically disabled and was forced to conclude teaching.

Partners

In 1948, Thomas married Gordon Thomas, who was an engineering student. The couple moved to Los Angeles. They had a son Kenneth Allen Thomas. The couple later divorced.

Thomas then married Avis Dennis.

Legacy

Thomas obtained a lot of memberships to prestigious associations and groups. She was a member of the National Education Association, the Seattle Teachers Association, the Washington Speech and Hearing Association, Zeta Phi Eta, the Urban League, and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (she was president several times).

Constance Thomas has always been intrigued by history and collecting material on the lives of early Black settlers of the Northwest and the production of the Black communities in Washington. She lectured in schools and is working on a collection of images and interviews with older people of the Black community.