Officials, family hail Thompson as civil rights champion
Florida Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a staunch civil rights advocate during her nearly two decades as a legislator, died on Thursday, Feb. 13, following complications from knee replacement surgery. She was 76.
From November 2024 until her passing, Thompson served as senator of Florida Senate District 15 for West Orange County, which includes Apopka.
Thompson’s family released a statement on Friday morning announcing the Democratic leader’s passing.
“Senator Geraldine Thompson was so much more than a dedicated public servant and visionary leader. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose love, wisdom, and compassion shaped their lives and the lives of so many in their community and across the state,” the statement reads. “Her tireless work in education, healthcare, and civil rights, including her leadership to establish the Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture in Orlando, reflected her unwavering commitment to creating a better world for future generations.”
Many people on social media celebrated Thompson’s legacy and contributions as a legislator and educator and offered condolences to her loved ones.
“It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Senator Thompson,” Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings wrote in an X post. “She was a tireless advocate for the underprivileged, and her effectiveness will be missed in the Florida Legislature. On behalf of Orange County, I offer heartfelt condolences to her family.”
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Florida Senator Geraldine Thompson, a former OCPS teacher and a true champion for civil rights and public education,” Orange County Public Schools posted on its Facebook page. “Her impact as an educator, legislator and community advocate will never be forgotten. OCPS extends our heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones.”
Before serving in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate, Thompson was an Orange County Public Schools educator for six years, and later an administrator at Valencia Community College for 24 years.
From 2006 to 2012 and then from 2018 to 2022, Thompson served in the Florida House of Representatives. She was elected to the Florida Senate in 2012 and served until 2016, before becoming senator for District 15 last year.
Thompson became first female Democrat and person of color to serve Florida House District 44 when she was elected in November 2018, according to her biography on the Florida Division of Historical Resources website.
Thompson developed a reputation as a historian after compiling the history of African Americans in Central Florida and authoring the book “Black America: Orlando, Florida,” the biography states.
“Thompson led the campaign to preserve one of Orlando’s unique landmarks, the Wells’Built Hotel which, during the days of segregation, provided lodging to some of America’s most prominent citizens including Justice Thurgood Marshall. Today, that landmark is known as the Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture,” the biography continues.
According to her online biography, Thompson’s most significant legislative accomplishments included bills to exonerate the Groveland Four, provide compensation to James Joseph Richardson, who was wrongfully incarcerated for 22 years, and create a specialty license plate to benefit scholarships for students at historically Black Greek-letter organizations at the University of Florida.
Thompson is survived by her husband, the Honorable Emerson R. Thompson, Jr.; her three children Laurise, Emerson III, and Elizabeth; and six grandchildren.
In the statement, Thompson’s family requested for privacy to mourn her passing and will announce details about her funeral services in the coming days.
