Amos Brown: An American Hero

On a recent Sunday morning I moved through the streets of one of America’s most striking cities, San Francisco. The city takes its name from St. Francis of Assisi who was an exemplar of kindness, wisdom, and care for others. My destination was the historic Third Baptist Church which is the city’s oldest African-American church. It was there that I was to meet Dr. Amos Brown who, like St. Francis, is the embodiment of service to others, insight, and compassion.

Dr. Amos Brown is an American hero. Born in Jackson, Mississippi in February 1941, his life has been marked by an unwavering commitment to improving society, standing for racial equality, advancing civil rights, and ministering to those who face temporal and spiritual adversity. Dr. Brown has been the Senior Pastor of the Third Baptist Church for an extraordinary 48 years.

As a younger man, Dr. Brown was taught, tutored, and mentored by a number of luminary figures in the American civil rights movement.  These individuals included Medgar Evers, Benjamin Mays, Samuel Williams, J. Pious Barbour, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Brown has the unique distinction as being one of eight students in the only class Dr. King ever taught in his lifetime at Morehouse College .

 As I walked into the church, I was both anxious and eager because of the reverence I have for Dr. Brown, his journey, and the people he has known. Before meeting with him, I was greeted by many kind and engaging individuals. There were simple and warm chats about the weather, parking, and then a moving one with an elderly person who spoke of the comfort he felt over years in the community of people that surrounded around us. While I was a stranger and had just set foot into the building for the first time, I understood what he meant. I felt it, too.

I then came face to face with Dr. Brown. That special moment was an honour. We were then escorted to our meeting place. We walked passed a hall which was feeding the congregation and community. A person asked if I wanted anything, and while I had eaten, the gesture was in keeping with the kind disposition of the place. Then Dr. Brown and I started our conversation. What he served me will likely feed me for the rest of my life.

There are many enlightening stories Dr. Brown told me. His descriptions of his interactions with Dr. King were inspiring. One of the most moving stories he told was that of the tragic murder of Emmett Till in 1955. Till had been abducted, tortured, and lynched in Mississippi. Till was 14. Dr. Brown was also 14, and also living in Mississippi. For Dr. Brown, Till’s death drove him forward. It was that same year that Dr. Brown organized the NAACP 's first youth council.

Another compelling story related to when the legendary Medgar Evers asked the teenage Dr. Brown if he would like to drive across the country with him and some others to the 1956 NAACP national convention in San Francisco. He asked his family and was given permission.

They mapped out where they could stay, eat, and get gas with so many places in America still restricting individuals based on race. Consider the feelings they would have had when coming into San Francisco. Dr. Brown was mesmerised. It was in San Francisco that Dr. Brown met Dr. King for the first time. And while Dr. Brown tells the story of the trip with pleasure, he also adds melancholy because his mentor and friend Medgar Evers was later murdered in 1963, and Dr. King was killed in 1968.  

I wanted to give Dr. Brown a gift of gratitude. We had spoken about Scotland, and movements in contemporary Scotland for racial opportunities. He said, “Scotland is on my bucket list.” So, I gave him a piece of Scotland, and presented him with a scarf emblazoned with the tartan of the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). UWS is committed to advancing and promoting equality and diversity. Who better than Dr. Brown to wear that scarf around the streets of San Francisco.   

Spending time with Dr. Brown is as if to travel across the Golden Gate Bridge. Like the resolute bridge, he is a person whose strength has guided many to pass over troubled waters from one shore of time to the next. I will forever be grateful to have been one traveler across that bridge, and to be able to say for the rest of my travels that I spoke face to face with an American hero.  

Ian Houston has spent his career as an advocate for diplomacy, trade, poverty alleviation, and intercultural dialogue. He promotes commercial, educational, artistic, and charitable linkages between Scotland, UK, and the US. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of the West of Scotland and honorary Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. He is located in the Washington, DC area. His views are his own.