In Memory of Alice Thompson

On August 25th we lost Alice Thompson, mother, sister, aunt, dear friend and life-long fearless fighter for human rights.

Alice loved to have a good time and was always a centerpiece of family gatherings, in particular, those that took place during Mardi Gras. With her signature beer in hand, she could always be seen recounting hilarious stories of her life and times, especially things that happened while she was in the Civil Rights Movement.

She was a member of the youth chapter of the New Orleans branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and later joined the New Orleans chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) under the leadership by Rudy Lombard and later Oretha Castle Haley. Alice was active in many pickets, sit-ins, and sit downs and integrated a number of public places in the the city such as the McCrory's, Woolworths, the Loews Theater, and the City Hall Cafeteria.

Alice participated in two Freedom Rides; one from Hattiesburg, MS to Poplarville, MS on November 14, 1961 and another on November 29, 1961 from New Orleans to McComb, MS. Alice and several others, such as Jerome Smith, Thomas Valentine, and Doratha Smith Simmons, were viciously beaten by a mob when attempting to integrate a Greyhound Bus Station. Alice also volunteered for numerous projects during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement such as Mississippi and Louisiana Freedom Summer, and was present at the historic March on Washington on August 28, 1963. Alice was honored her for her work by the state of Mississippi, the City of New Orleans, by Oprah Winfrey during her show commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides, and also by her family during their 2015 Reunion in Jackson, MS.

Though rich in life and loved by many, Alice Thompson had no savings and had only recently begun funding her life insurance policy. Funds for this effort will help defray cremation and memorial costs.