The name Voleer means strength, reading and writing. Even so, Voleer Thomas’ mother had no idea her daughter would grow to be a journalist.
Through her journalism, Voleer Thomas, 27, has channeled her outspoken nature to inform the city of Gainesville about issues facing Black residents.
For the last five years, Thomas has worked as a reporter for the Gainesville Guardian, which was founded in 2005 to address gaps in the Gainesville Sun’s coverage of Gainesville’s Black community. Formerly a weekly publication of the Gainesville Sun, The Guardian ceased its print edition and shifted to an email newsletter format beginning March 2.
Thomas’ reporting primarily focuses on the east side of the city, guided by her values and faith.
“I really do feel like I was called to be in this mission,” Thomas said. “It’s my duty to be in this position, to help others through my words, to inform them and to inspire them.”
For Thomas, there was never any doubt of what she was going to do. Her love for the written word and storytelling was forged at a young age. She gives much of that credit to her father. Rolston “Rally” Thomas, who passed in 2020, was a great oral storyteller, Thomas said.
“I’m a storyteller in words, through writing, but he was a storyteller through his mouth,” Thomas said. “He knew how to keep your attention.”
Thomas insisted her parents always stressed education and hard work, which is something she carried all the way to her education at her dream school, UF, where she majored in telecommunications and graduated in 2017.
While at UF, she joined groups like the National Association of Black Journalists and Black Affairs.
She hasn’t left Gainesville since graduating.
An associate producer at WCJB-TV20 since 2017, Voleer spends time behind the camera shooting and editing footage – but also often finds herself in the field, meeting members of the community.
Rev. Milford Griner, an involved member of the east Gainesville community and president of the Rosa Parks Quiet Courage Committee, met Thomas through her coverage of his organization’s events.
“She will sometimes be the first person to arrive at a local event,” Griner said.
Griner has gotten familiar with Thomas through the years she has worked in the community. He and his organization have awarded people for their quiet courage since 2006. That same quiet courage is how Griner describes Thomas and her work.
“She is willing to write stories about racism and gun violence,” Griner said. “She is willing to tackle the hard subjects, and she is not afraid to write stories about things that need to be addressed in Gainesville.”
Her desire to speak out is even present in her family life, which draws from multiple different cultures. Her mother is from Guyana and her father from Antigua and Barbuda.
The lesson she instilled the most was to be kind, Thomas’ mother, Michele, said.
“Always be nice,” Michele Thomas said. “Life is not easy, and we all go through things in life.”
As the oldest sibling of three, Thomas was very direct with her younger set of twin siblings, sister Vadalya and brother Viayazz.
Her daughter would scold her siblings when they misbehaved and commend them when they did the right thing, Michele Thomas said.
“She would tell them what she had to tell them if they were doing wrong and if they were doing right,” she said.
Her mother said Thomas showed writing prowess as early as the fourth grade, when she was the first child at her school to get a perfect score on the statewide standardized Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in the writing section.
It was always obvious that Thomas was a leader, her mother said.
Michele Thomas gushed about her daughter’s ability to lead even as a teenager. As a multi-sport athlete playing softball, soccer and volleyball, Thomas sometimes had to be reminded that she didn’t need to play so rough.
Determination and grit are needed for some of the stories Thomas writes. Throughout her time at the Guardian, she’s written stories about everything from Gainesville history to community issues such as gun violence and racism.
Thomas doesn’t watch many TV shows or movies, she said; instead, she studies up on her idols. Her favorite novel is “Step Out On Nothing” by Byron Pitts, the co-anchor for ABC News’ late-night program “Nightline.”
Idols such as Pitts and Ida B. Wells — an investigative journalist who wrote stories about the lynchings in the South during the late 19th century — drive Thomas to attack her job with bravery.
Voleer sees her talents as a gift, she said.
She calls her career a duty she was given by God to cover the stories that matter and inform the community. It’s a duty she carries out with a smile on her face.
Contact Jake at jlynch@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @JakeLyn20488762.
Jake Lynch is a third-year journalism major. He is a South Florida native that loves to spend time with family and friends. He has no idea what he wants to do with his life but he hopes this helps.
