Some of Isiah Thomas’ earliest memories …

Some of Isiah Thomas’ earliest memories are of he and his family protesting systemic racism. Thomas’ mother, Mary Thomas, was an activist on Chicago’s West Side, working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jesse Jackson and Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton. So the entire Thomas family was active in protests and demonstrations against inequality in Chicago. “Activism was the family business. We did not have babysitters. So every protest, march, rally, riot, mom was like, ‘Alright ya’ll, let’s go,’” Thomas says. “So we went everywhere (to join protests) together as a family.”