MS SC624

Recognizes Hank Thomas as an original Freedom Rider who traveled on Greyhound buses in 1961 protesting segregated facilities at bus stations throughout the South.

Acknowledges Thomas's civil rights activism including 22 arrests, his role as a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and his service as Chair of the National Advisory Board of the Mississippi Freedom Riders 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Notes Thomas's military service as a Vietnam War Purple Heart recipient and his business career as President of Victoria Hospitality Properties Inc. (Marriott franchises) and Vice President of McDonald's franchise companies.

Documents Thomas's extensive civic service on boards including the APEX Museum, Butler Street YMCA, and Piney Woods Country Life School, along with his membership in the NAACP and fundraising for the United Negro College Fund.

Welcomes Thomas to Mississippi for the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides in May 2011 and invites all Mississippians to participate in this celebration of reconciliation.