| Black History |
Black History Month Parade & Celebration
Make plans to join Downtown Thomasville for the third annual Black History Month Parade and Celebration at 10 a . m . on Saturday , February 12 . The parade will wind its way down Broad Street .
We will celebrate these Thomasville natives during Black History Month :
Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper
Henry Ossian Flipper was born into slavery in Thomasville , Georgia on March 21 , 1856 . He was the eldest of five children , born to Festus and Isabella Flipper . In 1874 , he became the fifth Black man accepted into the U . S . Military Academy at West Point . He was often ostracized by the other cadets and had little interaction or support from the other white cadets , yet he persevered and became the first Black man to graduate from West Point in 1877 . He accepted a commission as second lieutenant to Company A of the Tenth United States Cavalry in 1878 . He first reached Fort Sill , Oklahoma , where he designed and supervised the creation of drainage to the “ malarial ponds ,” which saved hundreds of enlisted lives . To this day , Flipper ’ s Ditch still operates and has been a historic landmark since 1977 . Also in 1977 , the Henry O . Flipper Award was created at West Point and is presented to the graduating cadet who exhibits “ leadership , self-discipline , and perseverance in the face of unusual circumstances .” Lt . Henry Flipper ’ s remains are interred at the Lt . Henry Ossian Flipper Historic Cemetery , located at 804 North Madison Street .
20 Winter 2022 Thomasville Scene