Rev. Norwood Thompson, longtime SCLC leader, dies

The Rev. Norwood Thompson, a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement and longtime leader of the New Orleans affiliate of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, passed away last week after suffering a stroke.

“He was in and out of the hospital in recent years but none of that could extinguish the fire in his heart and belly for civil rights and justice,” said the Rev. Raymond Brown, a community activist who marched alongside Thompson and other local civil rights warriors like the late Rev. Avery C. Alexander. “He was a fearless man of God who did everything in his power to leave the world and the city of New Orleans better than he found them.”

THOMPSON

Brown added that while Thompson had some health issues in recent years, one of his biggest challenges was losing the love of his life, his wife Wynnette Thompson, who passed away last year.

“He talked about that a lot — losing his wife was one of the greatest challenges of his life,” Brown told The Louisiana Weekly.

Toward the end of his life, Thompson bemoaned the senseless violence that has plagued cities like New Orleans as well as other societal ills like chronic poverty, high unemployment, educational apartheid, economic injustice, mass incarceration and unconstitutional policing.

In addition to challenging racial segregation and widespread discrimination in New Orleans, Rev. Thompson provided spiritual counsel for members of the New Orleans City Council by serving as its chaplain for many years.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our former chaplain, Reverend Norwood Thompson, Jr., who was the longest-serving chaplain in Council history,” the New Orleans City Council said in a statement last week. “Reverend Thompson inspired us to use each day as an opportunity serve with grace and spread God’s love. The reverend was also a fierce advocate for the African-American community in New Orleans, having served as chair of the MLK Holiday Planning Commission. A firm believer in nonviolence and equal rights, he participated in many marches and sit-ins, including the 1961 lunch counter sit-in at F.W. Woolworths on Canal St, which created a platform for generations to come. He believed that everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or income, deserved an education. At today’s meeting, we were honored to have members of Reverend Thompson’s family speak on his behalf and commemorate the life of such a remarkable man and friend to the Council.

“We will always remember how he shared his spirit of inclusion and unity with us and all New Orleanians. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Funeral arrangements were still pending when The Louisiana Weekly went to press.

This article originally published in the February 13, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.