Mae Thomas, a Brooklyn civic leader who worked alongside Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug and John Lindsay, died on Jan. 31, 2026. She was 108.
Long rooted in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Thomas remained present, engaged and involved in community life for decades. Her civic work and community presence brought her into proximity with New York political luminaries, her family said.
Born in Cordele, Ga. on July 27, 1917, and educated in Detroit, Thomas arrived in New York City in 1939 with only a few dollars to her name. Soon, Brooklyn became home, and the neighborhood became the ground she stood on for a lifetime. Between her arrival in New York and her start at IBM in 1967, Thomas built her Brooklyn life the way many women of her era did, through work, family and community. Family members remember her as sharp with numbers and steady under pressure, someone people trusted to keep things organized and handled.
In 1967, Mae began working at IBM, where she rose to president of the IBM Club, served as treasurer for the IBM bowling team, and organized recreation and connections for coworkers. Witness to an era shaped by technological acceleration, she intuitively understood that people are not machines and that community must be nurtured.
Thomas’s proximity to public leaders was not social in nature. It was a service. She was a community organizer who participated in voter registration and civic outreach, including block association engagement and neighbor-to-neighbor organizing that helped residents understand what was at stake and how to exercise their power. She canvassed, helped mobilize voter participation, and supported elders and neighbors in getting to the polls and staying informed.
She also spoke with the community on behalf of issues that mattered to the constituency, including quality-of-life concerns and the day-to-day realities that shape a neighborhood, such as housing stability, education, sanitation and public safety. This on-the-ground advocacy is what placed her in proximity to leaders like Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug and within the broader civic ecosystem of New York during the John Lindsay years. She was a true advocate for democracy, not in theory, but in practice.
Over the years, Thomas was publicly honored for milestone birthdays and her enduring impact. She received an official letter from President Barack Obama for her 100th birthday. New York later recognized her through proclamations issued by Letitia James, Laurie Cumbo and Walter T. Mosley. A Congressional proclamation issued by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries later recognized her 105th birthday celebration.
Thomas was known for presence, timing and truth, delivered without hesitation. Family members describe her as “unfiltered” in the way only real elders get to be, with a grown-folks mouth and a holy sense of humor. A favorite family anecdote captures her voice and spirit in one sentence: “Baby, you need to be in a Catholic church so you can kneel, because standing is not serving you.”
She maintained enduring friendships with members of the Tuskegee Airmen, rooted in respect and real connection. As a testament to her integrity and loyalty, Thomas said it plainly, in her own words: she never, ever lost a friend.
Thomas raised four children: Munir Ali, Amina Al-Amin, Deborah Thomas, and Marlene Steele. She is survived by Munir Ali and Marlene Steele and was preceded in death by Amina Al-Amin and Deborah Thomas. Her legacy continues through seven grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, fourteen great-great-grandchildren, and six great-great-great-grandchildren.
The family also honors Marlene Steele for extraordinary devotion. They share that her service went beyond caregiving, restoring and sustaining her mother with patience, endurance and devotion aligned with her Muslim faith.
The wake will be held on Thursday, Feb. 12, between 4:00pm to 7:00pm at Brown Memorial Baptist Church, 484 Washington Ave. The funeral mass will beheld on Friday, Feb. 13, at 10:00am at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, 29 Claver Pl.
