Piri Thomas was born in Harlem, New York on September 30, 1928. He was the eldest of seven children. His mother is of Puerto Rican descent and his father is Cuban. Thomas' full name is John Peter Thomas. Some sources state that his parents named him Juan Pedro Tomas, but that his name was changed in the hospital to the English version of the latter. The nickname, Piri, was given to him by his mother, whom he had a very close bond with. It comes from the name of a bird called the "pirri", which is a small bird that has enough strength to wound its enemy bird by attacking its underwing.
Thomas grew up in Spanish Harlem (El Barrio) at a time when lynching was still very prevalent in the United States, so the threat of racism was very real for him and others like him. As a young boy he attended public school in East Harlem, where he was forbidden to speak Spanish. Because the assimilation towards English was greater in school, Thomas began to lose some of his ability to speak Spanish. Thomas was faced with racism at school and in his own neighborhood, where he was taunted by whites and frequently called a "nigger spic". Thomas later writes of his experiences with racism in his books and in his poetry.
3. Biography
•Born in Harlem, New York on September 30,
1928.
•He was the eldest of seven children.
•His mother is of Puerto Rican descent and
his father is Cuban.
4. •Thomas' full name is John Peter Thomas
• Some sources state that his parents
named him Juan Pedro Tomas,
but that his name was changed in the
hospital to the English version of the
latter.
5. •The nickname, Piri, was given to him by his
mother, whom he had a very close bond with.
•It comes from the name of a bird called the
"pirri", which is a small bird that has enough
strength to wound its enemy bird by attacking
its underwing.
6. •Thomas grew up in Spanish Harlem (El
Barrio) at a time when lynching was still very
prevalent in the United States, so the threat of
racism was very real for him and others like
him.
•As a young boy he attended public school in
East Harlem, where he was forbidden to
speak Spanish.
7. • Because the assimilation towards English was
greater in school, Thomas began to lose some of
his ability to speak Spanish.
• Thomas was faced with racism at school and in his
own neighborhood, where he was taunted by
whites and frequently called a "nigger spic".
• Thomas later writes of his experiences with racism
in his books and in his poetry.
8. • In his late teenage years, Thomas began to get
involved with the street life in Spanish Harlem
and later found himself facing a 7 year prison
sentence.
• In 1950 Thomas was involved in a shoot out with
police when an armed robbery attempt at a
nightclub went sour.
9. • He was wounded and spent time in the prison ward
at Bellevue Hospital and after his case was settled
he was sent to Sing Sing prison.
• It was during his imprisonment that he began
writing what would later become his first book,
"Down These Mean Streets" which was first
published in 1967
11. • Thomas said in an interview from "Puerto Rican Voices In
English", a book of interviews by Carmen Dolores
Hernández, that
"I promised myself not to serve time, but
rather make time serve me. I'll educate my
mind, not eradicate it. I, Piri Thomas, will be
born anew at each A.M." (179).
