Silent Leader

by Rodney Brown

Dr. Freddie L. Thomas was a historian and a scientist, an inventor and an author, a book collector, a composer, and a scholar,--who had mastered the art of teaching. The focus of the biography is not specifically centered on the scientific aspects of Dr. Thomas's life, but also the political and social environments of the communities he encountered. Equally significant, he reached out to young people, both from prominent and poor families(including gang members) to teach them, the importance of obtaining a quality education. He spent an enormous amount of time with youths teaching them everything from basic rudiments of English and mathematics to complex mathematics, physics, philosophy, and religion. It was his way to seek out youngsters in the streets, get them interested in learning and then teaching them, if they were willing to apply themselves. He tutored all kinds of people in all kinds of places. Although, he never had a teaching certificate and never received any financial compensation in return. He didn't do it because he was after any gain of money or power. It was his natural way of living. He was indeed, a Silent Leader.

Genres: History

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always curious about Rochester history especially about folks you wouldn't normally hear about at your local Barnes and Noble. So imagine my intrigue when I was in the local history section of the downtown library and saw this book on display. And not only that, but written by a local journalist that I've met before. I finally got my hands on it and devoured it very quickly in September of 2015.

I really appreciated this biography of a man whose name I see around but that I knew nothing about. Sadly, I wish I had known him--it sounds like he was an incredible intellectual force in Rochester and beyond. Just the chance to wander around his library would have been awesome.

Brown did a nice job giving him a full biographical treatment. He didn't stick only to one area of Thomas' life, but tried to show how his interests, work, personal life, quest for knowledge, and his legacy. Specifically, his quest for knowledge seemed to have fueled his desire to impact not only people of importance, but also the Black youth on the corner. I also appreciated Thomas' desire to show that Black people were people first--he sought any and all documentation and books regarding the history and culture of Black people.

I say this in seriousness because it hit me the other day, which is probably going to sound a bit obvious to many, that when I was growing up and learning american history in a suburb of Rochester, people like Thomas were never mentioned. Going back to how the institution of slavery was taught, African people were brought to the colonies already enslaved. In the history I was taught in grade school, African people were never self-determining individual people first. They were never apart of cultures and histories in civilizations before they were enslaved. Enslaved Africans were taught as property first and people later. Which is a sickening and callous way to teach children about one of this country's most lasting and egregious legacies. So again, in my political mind, this is obvious. But the epiphany of how I was taught that history was biting. Thomas certainly did all he could to educate people to the reality of Black culture and history.

The book itself was kind of arranged a bit weirdly, with his accomplishments listed in the middles of chapters and such, but overall a very accessible and interesting history of a man who made Rochester his home.