As we take the month of February to acknowledge and celebrate Black History Month, it is important to focus on some of the origins of Black History Month rooted in Illinois. In fact, Illinois native Ronald Reagan’s first Black History Month proclamation stated that “understanding the history of Black Americans is a key to understanding the strength of our nation.”
In Illinois, we can celebrate the legacy of the first black person elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, John W. E. Thomas (1847-1899). Born into slavery in Alabama, he became a school teacher in the south before moving to Chicago with his wife and daughter in 1869, where he became a prominent community leader. In Chicago, he opened a grocery store, started a school for black residents, and became very involved in Olivet Baptist Church. He was admitted to the bar in 1880 and practiced law while also investing in real estate.
A Republican, Thomas was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1876, serving a total of six years between 1877-1886. In 1885, Representative Thomas introduced legislation which became Illinois’ first law preventing discrimination in public accommodations, nearly 80 years before the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 followed suit nationwide.
Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie is proud of the connection with John W.E. Thomas, who was a trailblazer for black Illinoisans in the fields of education, business, and public service as we celebrate his life and legacy every year during Black History Month. It was Thomas and those after him who paved the way for future generations of black men and women who have served with distinction in the Illinois General Assembly.