(ATLANTA – May 5, 2023) – BMORENews.com and BlackUSA.News will present Black Wall Street ATLANTA featuring the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards on May 17, 2023, from 6 to 8 pm at the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, located at 807 Atlanta Student Movement Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30314.
RSVP at https://blackwallstreetatl2023.eventbrite.com.
Honorees include “Able” Mable Thomas.
About “Able” Mable Thomas
For over 30 years, “Able” Mable Thomas has been at the forefront fighting for freedom, justice, and equality for all Georgians and disenfranchised people around the world. Whether as a community organizer, civil and human rights activist, or elected official, she has been a consistent force for good. She is a sought-after Motivational Speaker at conferences, colleges, and churches and has traveled throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Her emergence onto the political stage began in 1984 when she was chosen as a presidential delegate for candidate Reverend Jesse Jackson at the Democratic National Convention held in San Francisco, California. During her 26 years in office, Mable was the youngest member of the House in 1985. In 1997, she sought another public office, winning the Atlanta City Council, Post 1 At-Large seat which allowed her to focus on quality of life issues most impacting people throughout Atlanta.
As a member of the Atlanta City Council, she was responsible for passing an Affordable Housing Policy Bill, obtaining $4.9 million for Atlanta Green Space Conservation, and being a major stakeholder in community efforts to secure the Historic Westside Revitalization Project. In the Georgia General Assembly, whether it was women’s reproductive health, educational reform, living wages, racial profiling, economic development, access to health care, or senior issues, Mable was always willing and ABLE to stand up, speak out and pass innovative legislation. Representative “Able” Mable Thomas is the convener of the 12 Mothers of the Reproductive Justice Movement in America, which coined the phrase “reproductive justice” and set up the framework for principle application. She is one of the founders of the organization, Women of African Decent for Reproductive Justice, and is currently the executive director. The conference took place in Chicago, in June 1994. This is the 28th anniversary of this remarkable accomplishment.
During the 2020 session of the GA General Assembly, as an answer to the maternal mortality crisis, she along with other black women legislators passed the expansion of Medicaid for postpartum mothers. Placing $20 million dollars in the budget which included $500,000 for Morehouse School of Medicine for research, training, and community engagement. As the first mandated benefit in the State of Georgia, requiring that insurance companies pay for mammograms, pap smears, and prostate cancer tests as a regular part of the medical benefits plan is another example of her dynamism. She authored Rape Shield legislation that makes it harder for women’s past sexual history to be included in rape trials – unless there was a past relationship between the two – giving the case a chance to be tried on its merit. She is the Author of the first updated Hit and Run bill that was passed and signed by the Governor in May 2019. Her passion has been around women, family, and health issues, thereby leading the charge to prevent Black women from dying during childbirth. Georgia leads the nation in maternal morbidity. Additionally, she chaired the study committee on Minority Participation, Diversity, and Inclusion in the $9 Billion Dollar Film and Television Industry in Georgia. She served on Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Technology, Economic Development & Tourism, and Congressional Reapportionment. Representative Thomas is also a founder of the Greater Vine City Opportunities Program Inc., which provides youth and family enrichment and educational opportunities for high-risk urban youth throughout Atlanta’s Westside. She was able to purchase the Historic English Avenue Elementary School in the English Avenue community which will be converted into a multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly, high-tech, global community center. This 3.2-acre development will also include Community Gardens.
In recent years, Able Mable has received the following prestigious awards:
2022 – Women Engaged “Ella Baker” Change Maker Award
2022 – Lindsay St. Park Merit Award
2022 – Samuel H. Johnson Education Award
2021 – Bright Futures Award
2020 – The NAACP Jubilee Award
2019 – The Women of Color Award
2019 – Martin Luther King, JR Dream Forward Award
This is yet another example of her passion to change the world, one person at a time, one block at a time, and one community at a time.