Piri Thomas (1928-2011)

Piri Thomas (1928-2011)

Image Courtesy of Suzie Dod Thomas Author and activist Piri Thomas became one of the first Americans of Puerto Rican descent to win literary acclaim when he published his 1967 memoir Down These Mean Streets.  Born Juan Pedro Tomas to Cuban and Puerto Rican parents on...
Charles Gordone (1925-1995)

Charles Gordone (1925-1995)

Charles Gordone was born Charles Edward Fleming on October 12, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio to parents William and Camille Fleming.  He took his stepfather’s surname of Gordon when his mother remarried when he was five years old.  The family moved to Elkhart, Indiana, his...