Saleem William Thompkins

William "Saleem" Thompkins, 66, of Lansdowne, PA was born in Washington, D.C. on October 19, 1954 to the late Margaret (Koger) Thompkins and the late Vincent Thompkins, Sr. He graduated from Anacostia High School and the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. As a young man, he was a Black Panther and deeply interested in Black nationalism and justice for the oppressed. This passion would eventually lead him to learning about and converting to Islam and renaming himself "Saleem," meaning "peaceful." He often spoke with emotion about how he knew he was a Muslim when he first read the Al-Fatihah and it brought him to tears. He remained concerned about global injustices, often reading about and speaking on the topics, and inspiring his own children to fight oppression and serve others. He was most comfortable on the road and would spend most of his life driving for a living. Before the days of GPS, he loved maps and prided himself on being a human map who could mentally create travel routes for almost any city or state in the country. He is survived by his devoted wife of 40 years, Madeline Bintu, his daughters, Asiya and Jamilah, his son and stepson, Bilal and Daouda, and his grandchildren and step grandchildren. He will be deeply missed by his older sisters, Gloria, Nadine, and Cecelia. He is preceded in death by his older brother, Vincent, Jr.