Thelma Glass (May 16, 1916 – July 24, 2012) was an American

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

activist, noted for helping to organize the

Montgomery bus boycott The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States ...

of 1955, and a professor of geography.Denise Grady
"Thelma Glass, Organizer of Alabama Bus Protests, Dies at 96"
(Obituary), ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', July 28, 2012.

Biography

Glass was born Thelma McWilliams in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, to a hotel cook and homemaker. She graduated from Dunbar High School (Mobile) and attended

Alabama State University Alabama State University (ASU) is a public historically black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, ASU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Alabama State University was founded in 1867 as the Lin ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. In 1955, after

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the ...

' arrest, Glass and the other members of the

Women's Political Council The Women's Political Council (WPC), founded in Montgomery, Alabama, was an organization that formed in 1946 that was an early force active in the civil rights movement that was formed to address the racial issues in the city. Members included Mary ...

, called for a boycott of the Montgomery bus system, thus beginning the Montgomery bus boycott, a key action in the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

. Glass had joined the organization in 1947Adam Bernstein
"Thelma Glass, Alabama teacher at the forefront of civil rights activism, dies at 96"
''Washington Post'', July 26, 2012. and in 1955 was its secretary. The Rev. Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

joined in the protests as well and worked with her. She passed out fliers, alerted the community, and urged passengers to walk or car-pool. Soon she noticed every bus that went by was empty of passengers. Although there was sometimes violent retaliation, the boycott continued and eventually the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional and the boycott ended. She married Arthur Glass in 1942, and both taught geography at

, where her husband was also a professor. Glass died in 2012 at the age of 96.

References

External links

Obituary
''Montgomery Advertiser''
"Remembering Civil Rights Pioneer Thelma Glass"
WSFA (news video) 1916 births 2012 deaths African-American academics American geographers Women civil rights activists Activists for African-American civil rights History of civil rights in the United States Alabama State University faculty Alabama State University alumni Columbia University alumni People from Mobile, Alabama Activists from Alabama 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people {{civil-rights-movement-stub

Biography

References

Further reading

External links