Black History Month Celebration: Dr. Marguerite Thompson, a renaissance woman

The Brooklyn community on Jan. 18 paid its last respects to “Honorary Guyanese” Dr. Marguerite Thompson, a prominent African American early childhood educator, community leader and artist, whose late husband, Dr. Thomas Thompson, was a Guyanese native.

During her lifetime, family members said Dr. Marguerite Thompson was dedicated to helping and learning more about Guyana. She died “peacefully” on Dec. 20, 2024, at 94, relatives said.

Caribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke was among mourners who paid tribute to Dr. Thompson during an Official Memorial Service on Jan. 18 at Fenimore Street United Methodist Church (FSUMC) in Brooklyn, Dr. Thompson’s home church. A Memorial Service was also held the day before at the Weeksville Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

“I think of the work she did in the community,” said Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn. “She was a stalwart in the community.

“The legacy she’s left is a bar that has been set,” added the congresswoman before presenting a Congressional Citation to Dr. Thompson’s grandchildren.

“To the granddaughters: It is my hope that you continue to hold them in your arms; that you encourage them to be part of our lives,” Clarke continued. “What she has done for the community, it’s a treasure.”

Before reading a tribute from Mayor Eric Adams, Brooklyn native Malcolm McDaniel, director of constituent services, said: “It was kind of hard for me because she was a great woman.

“We’re all family,” he said. “On her 80th birthday, she had a Mardi Gras. When I said family, she really meant to be family.”

In eulogizing Dr. Thompson, the Rev. Dr. William G. Smartt said: “From the 1960s, our family relationship grew. Dr. Thompson was the first person to encourage me to run for Community School Board 17 (in Brooklyn).

“Dr. Thompson was always there to give support and encouragement,” added Rev. Smartt, whose father hailed from Guyana. “Dr. Thompson always had a special place for Guyana. Dr. Thomas Thompson was from Guyana. Dr. (Marguerite) Thompson celebrated anything you can think of.

“But you can’t speak of Dr. Thompson without talking of the Weeksville; the Weeksville ambassadors came into being,” Rev. Smartt added. “We had a relationship that lasted over 50 years.

“She did not call me Rev. Smartt; she called me Bill,” he continued. “It was quite a ride. As I was putting my thoughts together, she was a force to reckon with.”

Guyanese Patrine Josiah Simon said Dr. Thompson “has left an indelible presence in all of us.

“I know she’ll carry that level of kindness,” she added. “When she was called, she came.”

Noel McDonald, whose mother hails from Guyana, said: “A lot of people in here is because of Dr. Thompson.

“The young people who grew up in this church, this woman had impacted a lot of people,” he said. “She told a lot of people about Heritage Sunday (celebrated on the last Sunday in February at FSUMC). She showed us to be of service to others.”

Doreen Thomas and Joycelyn King, members of FSUMC and the church’s United Women of Faith, presented a resolution to Dr. Thompson’s grandchildren; Lakeisha Moffatt offered a prayer of comfort; Jay St. Flono rendered “It is Well with My Soul”; and Aboti Walters mimed to Donnie McClurkin’s “Stand.”

In jointly reading the obituary, Dr. Thompson’s grandchildren, David Ishmael and Marguerite Allen said that Dr. Ethel Marguerite Casanave Thompson was a “cherished matriarch, beloved educator, thought-provoking artist and community leader.

“A visionary in early childhood education, Dr. Thompson leaves a remarkable legacy that touched countless lives locally and internationally,” they said, stating that Dr. Thompson was born on Oct. 6, 1930, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to “a multicultural community and family that spanned three states – Louisiana, Georgia and New York.”

The grandchildren said Dr. Thompson, the daughter of George Casanave and Fannye Richards, grew up in a family dedicated to the Methodist faith and the advancement of education.

Ishmael and Allen said Dr. Thompson “lived through The Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement, published several books, dabbled in the arts, traveled the world, mentored fellow educators, educated countless children, and lost both of her natural children – a picture of true resilience.

“Throughout her distinguished career, she became an influential force in early childhood education, developing pioneering programs and working tirelessly to improve the lives of children and families across the United States and abroad,” they said, stating that Dr. Thompson’s journey as an educator started with a two-year scholarship to Dillard University in New Orleans.

After Dillard, they said Dr. Thompson matriculated at the historically Black Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, earning a Bachelor of Science and pledging in the Phi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to a life of sisterhood and service to all mankind.

Later, Ishmael and Allen said their grandmother became a charter member of the Psi Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in Brooklyn.

They said Dr. Thompson’s time at Wiley opened the door for her to travel, but with an escort named Dr. Thomas Thompson, who eventually became her husband.

Their union produced two daughters, Drs. Fannye Victoria and Georgene Sheryl Thompson.

Ishmael and Allen said that, throughout the Thompson’s marriage, Dr. Thompson traveled “back and forth” to Guyana.

“She dedicated time to learning about his (Dr. Thomas Thompson) country over the years, where she, along with her friends and Guyanese empaths, founded an organization that provided supplies and clothing to the rural areas of Guyana,” Ishmael and Allen said.

They said that Dr. Thompson also contributed to the Guyanese community through her work as the founding member of the Allied Organizations of Guyana U.S.A., providing scholarships to Guyanese students and supporting the Uncle Eddie Home for the Aging in Guyana.

“To this day, she is known as an ‘Honorary Guyanese’”, Ishmael and Allen said.

They said that after their grandmother was accepted at New York University (NYU), she moved from Texas to New York, earning her master’s and doctorate degrees in Early Childhood Education.

Ishmael and Allen said that Dr. Thompson’s mentors, along with “a multicultural team of Rabbinical, Afro-American and other pundits,”  helped her craft her dissertation on “Developing Positive Self-image in the Inner-City Minority Child Through Use of the Community as a Classroom/Weeksville”.

In addition to her academic and artistic pursuits, Ishmael and Allen said that Dr. Thompson was “a tireless advocate for global education and cross-cultural exchange.”

As the founder and director of The Weeksville Young Ambassadors Exchange Program, they said Dr. Thompson inspired over 2,000 children from Brooklyn and other areas of the United States by “exposing them to exciting places, such as London, Paris, Panama, Guyana, Barbados and African countries.”

Ishmael and Allen said that Dr. Thompson’s work spanned various educational settings, including birth to pre-kindergarten programs, Head Start, and public and private school systems.

They said Dr. Thompson was primarily renowned for developing one of the first Pre-K programs in District 16, Brooklyn, and for her role as a facilitator for a national resource center at Bank Street College in New York City.

“Her program became a model for early childhood education, recognized nationwide and internationally,” the grandchildren said.

At FSUMC, they said Dr. Thompson, served as chairperson of the Trustee Board and the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee; president of the United Methodist Women/Wesleyan Service Guild; Sunday School superintendent and teacher; and founder of the Summer Youth Camp Project and the Silent Supper.

They said Dr. Thompson was the first Black Girl Scout Commissioner in Brooklyn, traveling to Guyana and Barbados.

FSUMC honored Dr. Thompson during its 120th anniversary celebration in 2009. The church’s United Women of Faith also honored her during its 60th anniversary celebration in 2019.

While being a passionate advocate for children, Dr. Thompson’s grandchildren said she was also “a dedicated artist”, known for her abstract expressionist paintings, watercolor pieces, and original jewelry designs.

“Her work with stones from Guyana was widely admired,” said Ishmael and Allen, adding that Dr. Thompson also served as a curator for the Guyana Art and Education Center.

They said Dr. Thompson’s art was featured in exhibitions at prestigious institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum, the City University of New York (CUNY), and the United Nations.

An author of over 42 books, posters, and academic papers, the grandchildren said Dr. Thompson was a principal, staff developer and administrator at many colleges throughout the New York City area, and the founder of T.O.C (Teacher Opportunity Corp) at Brooklyn College, CUNY.

Dr. Thompson’s granddaughter, Patrice Eleah, thanked mourners for attending the Memorial Service.

Dr. Thompson is also survived by her grandchildren – Timothy Thomas, Marguerite Victoria Casanave, Patrice Eleah and David Thomas; and one great-grandson, Ezra George Thompson.

“Dr. Marguerite C. Thompson’s contributions to education, the arts and her community have left an indelible mark on the world,” Ishmael and Allen said. “Her commitment to service, love of family and passion for education have made her a renaissance woman, whose memory will live on in the lives she touched.

“May she rest in peace, and may her legacy continue to inspire all who knew her,” they added.