Trio leads community renovation of ‘Able’ Mable Thomas’ Vine City home
Friends and neighbors say “Able” Mable Thomas has never shied away from standing up for neighborhoods across Atlanta.
That includes Shade’ Yvonne Jones, one of Thomas’ decades-long friends.
“Every little thing the community needed, they would come to her as if she was an open door for a community.”
Thomas was first elected to the General Assembly in 1985 as a state representative for House District 56. Jones said Thomas’ salary never matched her year-round commitment to her constituents.
“It was only a three- or four-month position but she used it as a tool for community advocacy, for people advocacy and to speak truth to power. Money was never her thing. She was never into it. She was never into creating an empire for herself; she just wasn’t cognizant of that. And because of that, she (now) has limited resources,” Jones said.
Thomas, 67, has endured limited mobility for the past year, first after falling at a friend’s home while walking on a flight of stairs.
“I must have missed a step because all I know is I ended up on my back and I knew I was hurt,” Thomas said in an interview with UATL.
She significantly injured her right shoulder and elbow, requiring surgery. After spending 21 days in a rehabilitation center, Thomas said she was released to her home, which also needed rehab.
“My house is old,” Thomas said, “so it has some foundation issues.”
Now, Able Mable’s friends and supporters have decided it’s time to speak up and show out on her behalf.
Three men — real estate broker Cliff Palmer, airport concessions executive Randy Hazelton and attorney Michael Sterling — have led a full renovation of Able Mable’s home, which they call a tribute to her legacy.
Before April, her red and white ranch home near James P. Brawley Drive had a set of tall, red concrete steps outside the entrance. Thomas, who currently uses a wheelchair, recently found herself unable to get in and out of her own front door without assistance.
“I would just have to believe that somebody, because I’m so well-known in the neighborhood, would come by. I would say, ‘Hey John, help me up the steps,’ and they would say, ‘OK, Ms. Able Mable.’”
As time passed, Thomas decided that living in her home wasn’t safe, so she moved into an nearby apartment. Friends aware of her situation began looking for ways to help.
Jones became emotional when describing by phone what has been a challenging time for the former state representative and Atlanta City Council member.
“Able Mable has fought and lived in this community for years and years, her whole life, and has worked entirely for the community,” she said. “That was emotional, waiting, because it wasn’t in my power, financially, to do it.”
Jones and Dawn Samad, another longtime friend of Thomas’, found an ally in Palmer, a real estate investor from Philadelphia with properties on and near English Avenue, where he lives not far from Thomas and Jones.
Jones one day mentioned to Palmer that Thomas needed help with her house. Later last year, outside a holiday event at Atlanta City Hall, Palmer met Samad while booking rideshare transportation. Palmer’s phone battery died and Samad offered him a ride home, using the opportunity to lobby Palmer the entire way to help Thomas.
Once he heard Thomas left the home where she was born and raised and was living in a one-bedroom efficiency, Palmer decided to act.
“I just basically said ‘I’m gonna redo her house,” he said.
He reached out to friends Hazelton and Sterling to invite them to partner on the charitable project. Having connections in real estate, Palmer also asked his network of construction professionals for help. They pitched in not just because of Thomas’ name and reputation, but also his.
More than a decade ago, Palmer personally funded a summer basketball camp for local youth. He met Hazelton and Sterling, and told them about the program, which both men supported. Sterling, serving as an adviser to then-mayor Kasim Reed, secured city support that funded new basketball goals.
“I knew Randy first, when he was the owner of Cafe Circa, which was a place I would frequent when I was working for the mayor’s office‚” Sterling said. “Randy introduced me to Cliff, who was doing good work, taking the initiative in and of himself to do stuff for the community. So that’s always been the basis of our friendship.”
“Cliff has been doing what he can to support people in the neighborhood, young and old,” Hazelton told UATL. “He’s always been about this kind of work.”
The three men agreed the two-bedroom, single-bathroom, 940-square-foot home was in a state of disrepair that required a complete gutting. Hazelton remembers sinking floors and walls without insulation.
“The home was the exact same as it was from the 1930s,” Palmer recalled. “With no upgrades, it was bad.”
“She needed some help. It was like, we can’t let this happen,” Sterling said.
The trio decided to start in April. They wanted it kept secret from Thomas, who inevitably found out what was happening but didn’t know who was behind it. Palmer confessed but asked her to stay away and allow him to reveal it when complete.
Thomas respected the request but admits to occasionally spying on the construction progress, which took 60 days to complete.
“One day I saw a new roof,” Thomas said. “And not too long ago I rode back over and saw solar panels on the roof, and I’m like, ‘Whoa.’”
Not only will her home be solar-powered, but it has a brand new, fully remodeled kitchen, living room, dinette, laundry and storage rooms, plus a new front porch overlooking the neighborhood with an accessible ramp replacing those hard red steps out front.
Palmer, Hazelton and Sterling estimate the total value of the renovation is more than $200,000. In addition to building costs, silent supporters also donated windows, furniture, televisions and appliances.
Mayor Andre Dickens, who is expected to attend the grand reveal event Saturday at 2 p.m., also became aware of the project and voiced support in a statement to UATL.
“It takes a team like Cliff, Michael, Randy and others who pitched in on this to make sure our legacy residents and leaders like Able Mable live with the dignity they deserve,” Dickens said.
“Too often, society gets caught up in the ‘shock factor’ or ‘scandalous’ content that shows up in our social media feeds, and we are ever so slowly moving in a direction where we are forgetting the good that still exists in people,” the mayor added. “This story is a perfect example of what should rise above that other noise and remind folks of our shared humanity — our better angels. Imagine if everyone solves a problem for another person just like these guys did rather than talking about the problem nonstop.”
Sterling agreed with the mayor’s assessment.
“When I was working in the mayor’s office I worked with state Rep. Thomas. I’ve known Councilwoman Thomas. I’ve known community activist Thomas. She’s always been a friend of mine and always an advocate for the community. The idea we could do something to honor her and help her was a no-brainer for me.”
Palmer said he hopes their group effort triggers similar acts, especially for senior citizens, whom he believes are often forgotten.
“No one thinks about the seniors because it’s easy to assume they have children or family and they’ll be OK. A lot of times, many seniors don’t have those things, nor do their families have resources.”
Hazelton, whose relationship with Thomas began with interactions when he served on the board of Invest Atlanta, said he hopes their example inspires more community service and leadership from Black men.
“It’s not about how big the effort is; it’s just about doing what you can where you are,” he said.
As she prepares to see what they’ve built for her, Thomas sounds like the proud “Auntie” that Palmer affectionately calls her. She described herself as deeply grateful, calling it all evidence of things in which she believes.
“Goodness, kindness, and humanity is still available,” she said. “There is still neighborhood and community that exists in Atlanta.”
Become a member of UATL for more stories like this in our free newsletter and other membership benefits.
Follow UATL on Facebook, on X, TikTok and Instagram.
About the Author
Mike Jordan is senior editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Black culture brand, UATL. A longtime culture journalist, his work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, National Geographic, Rolling Stone and others. Jordan won the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award and was a 2023 finalist.
