Page 64 - BusinessWest February 20, 2023

Another one of Thomas’ successes was bringing Camp Atwater in North Brookfield — the oldest overnight camp for Black youth in the U.S. — back to life in 1980 after a period
of dormancy. The camp, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021, is especially meaningful to him because he attended as a youth.
“It had an impact on me; this was the place where I learned that I don’t have to make a selection between being cool or being smart. I found out that I could do both.”
The lesson he took from his own experience at camp was that kids need to see other kids making the right choices in life.
“These kids knew all the contemporary dances. But they were talking about becoming a doctor, becoming a lawyer, and at the same time shooting three-point shots. And I said, ‘wow, I really don’t have to
make a choice. I could do both.’” But it’s not just showing teens
positive pathways, but helping them get on them, that really matters, he added. He said his parents did that for him, and it’s been his life’s work at the Urban League to help others achieve their dreams.
“Like I said before, it’s equity. If you don’t have a chance to be as good as the next woman or guy, then you’re not going to achieve the excellence that you think you’re capable of. So I should give my parents a little credit.”
A Very Good Life
When considering his long list of achievements of impact, Thomas boils it down simply.
“It’s been a very good life,” he said, before expressing pride in his wife and his children; his son works for OppenheimerFunds in South Orange, N.J., and his daughter is
an assistant school superintendent in Richmond, Va. And, as noted, Thomas’ own responsibilities have taken him beyond the Urban League, such as his role as first African- American to chair the Springfield Police and Fire commissions.
“I’ve actually marveled at all the various hats this man has worn through the years, particularly as Police commissioner,” Dee Thomas said. “Those were really rough times when he was in that position, and he met a lot of opposition in trying to change the face of the police force and make it more diverse. I
will never forget those days. But I’ve seen all the people that he’s touched, and we still see officers come up and thank him for allowing them to be on the commission, because they know, if were not for him, they wouldn’t be there.”
It’s just another example, Henry said, of sometimes having to run the ball through a defense in life.
And he’s hopeful that the younger generation will continue to pick up his mantle, understanding that equity has not yet been achieved in all areas of life, no matter how much various corners of society — in government, education, and elsewhere — would like the conversation to go away, as
evidence by the current tussles over critical race theory and what students are allowed to learn and read.
“I think it is doing an injustice to young people when they are not getting the kind of access that they need — and that they deserve — to help them understand the world and how it operates: the good, the bad, and the ugly. You can make better choices when you know all three,” he said. “I do think that there’s too much of a passive approach by people who are self-sufficient and feel, well, ‘that’s not my problem. I hate to see it, but I’ve got to move on.’”
Thomas is not moving on from those goals, even after his time with
the Urban League is done. He’s seen enough to recognize the power of arming young people with education, creating access to opportunities, and continuing the conversation.
“But I don’t feel desperate,” he
said — largely because of those young people with the potential to be difference makers themselves, as he certainly is. “I feel like we can get to where we need to be. I’m optimistic.”
That’s a life story — and a continuing legacy — much bigger than a glass-covered end table. BW
Special thanks to our client, Chemex.
Left to right: Michael Welnicki, Reynolds Whalen, Peter Normand (Webber and Grinnell) Alan Perry, Gabriela Naranjo-Rosales, and Jennifer Grassy (Chemex)
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“I don’t feel desperate. I feel like we can get to where we need to be. I’m optimistic.”
64 FEBRUARY 20, 2023
BusinessWest