I am delighted to honor Evelyn Thomas as my Senate District 38 Community Champion of the Month for November for her lifelong service to veterans and her devotion to education and advocacy to empower others. 

Raised by a single mother‚ Thomas often did her homework by candlelight when her mother couldn’t pay the electric bill. She learned about the civil rights movement and the philosophy of nonviolent resistance from her mother. Thomas joined the National Guard at age 17 with her mother’s authorization because she was not yet old enough to enlist on her own‚ and then was transferred to the Marine Corps. 

During her service‚ she experienced discrimination that was aimed at LGBT service members. As a result‚ she took it upon herself to become an activist and advocate for LGBTQ+ individuals in the military.

Thomas was especially motivated to protect women of color‚ who were disproportionately silenced and sexually coerced. Thomas’s efforts contributed to the abolishment of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy in 2011‚ and she received an invitation to personally witness the signing of the repeal by President Obama.

[S]he took it upon herself to become an activist and advocate for LGBTQ+ individuals in the military

For 16 years‚ Thomas has provided emotional support‚ counseling and advocacy for veterans through the Sanctuary Project Veterans‚ an outreach ministry she founded. She serves at the Veterans Affairs Representative in the Oceana Community‚ connecting senior veterans‚ surviving spouses and their families to crucial benefits and services. She also serves on the Advisory Council of the Benjamin F. Dillingham III and Bridget Wilson LGBT Veterans Wall of Honor and is an Onward Ops Sponsor for veterans discharged under President Trump’s Executive Order 14183‚ empowering those transitioning from military to civilian life.

Thomas earned a master’s degree and taught high school in Oceanside. She created the Striving Towards Achieving Academy Requirements (STAAR) program to help English Language Learners build confidence and achieve academic success. She has also developed a training program on inclusion‚ equity and LGBTQ+ challenges for employees of the City of Oceanside. 

Thomas embodies compassion‚ justice and community spirit. Her decades of service uplifting students and supporting veterans make her a deserving District 38 Community Champion for November.