Depleted. That is a word that describes my feelings regarding the death of Amos Brown. I feel depleted, and I am sure many people in the community have the same sense of loss. When I initially heard of Amos’ passing I was in shock. So much so that I instinctively grabbed my phone and called his cell. I planned on telling him how someone had started a cruel rumor, and then I was sure he and I would laugh as we went down the list of detractors who may have started the rumor.
As I dialed his number, it was as if I needed everyone to be wrong … I needed this all to be an ugly rumor, and I needed Amos to still be here. When Amos’ cellphone went to voicemail, I knew he was gone. And so I sat in my car dazed. Shocked. Depleted.
When I finally got out of the car, I viciously slammed the door and hit the hood of the car. I was angry. I couldn’t believe we were losing such a giant in our community … again.
It took awhile for the shock to wear off. Even in the midst of communicating with my staff last Saturday afternoon, I was in shock, but I was also in action mode — so were they. Our journalist hats were on, and we were working, strategizing and planning.
The difficult but necessary work of memorializing a friend, colleague, mentor and community giant is sadly something we have become accustomed to. It is what we did less than a year ago when the incomparable Bill Mays passed away. It was what we did last January when longtime Recorder supporter, volunteer and accountant Arthur Carter passed away. My staff and I also did the same thing for servant leader Bill Crawford weeks ago.
And so here we are again: paying tribute to yet another instrumental person in the community and more specifically this newspaper.
To say Amos was a dedicated man is an understatement. To say he was intelligent is an even greater understatement. Amos was one of the smartest men I knew. He not only had the distinct ability to effectively serve the community by being an outspoken advocate, but he also had the research and statistical information readily available that gave merit to his work. Amos was a genius in his own right, and his studies at one of the country’s best universities is a testament to that. His depth of knowledge goes beyond description.
One of the attributes that make Amos so special was the way he pushed the envelope. He challenged anyone whom he felt was wrong or needed more accountability. He called people out, and they responded or they ducked for cover and tried to avoid him at all costs. Amos was also a great champion for minority media. As an employee of Radio One and a Recorder columnist, Amos understood the value of Black media. And he always worked to ensure the Recorder and Radio One had seats at the table. If we didn’t … well, you’d hear about it and, more likely than not, the next go around the maltreatment would not occur.
Not everyone agreed with Amos, and some people didn’t like him. That was OK with Amos, because he knew his efforts would benefit our community even if he pissed some folks off in the process.
Whether you agreed with him or not, one could never dispute his heart and passion for the community. His passion was evident in every word he wrote in his weekly column and every time his voice traveled through the airwaves.
As we grapple with the death of Amos Brown, many people have asked who is our next leader, what will we do?
Well, our next leader is you. It is me. It is each one of us. Every now and then, we are blessed to have extraordinary people in our presence … people who seem to be larger than life, people who do so much for so many. People who give of themselves unselfishly. Bill Mays was that type of person, and so was Amos Brown. But now that they are gone, we must continue their efforts.
Maybe we cannot individually be who they were, but collectively our chances are far greater. We must work together more. We must call out the bad apples and hold everyone accountable. We must be organized and have a united front. We must put personal gain aside and think more broadly. We must focus on the community. If we all make a concerted effort to do more and be more, perhaps we will get close to being as great as a Bill Mays or Amos Brown.
These past 11 months have been incredibly difficult for the Recorder as we have lost Bill Mays, Art Carter and Amos Brown — each one of these men left indelible marks on the Recorder. As I reflect on their deaths and I deal with my own sense of loss and depletion, I am encouraged to forge ahead, because that is what they would want. Amos in particular would tell me to persevere and continue to fight the good fight. That is my personal commitment.
I hope you commit to the same thing, because that type of steadfast determination is what will prevail in the end. It will enhance the community, and our individual lives will be all the richer for it.
Amos did so much for us. Let’s repay the favor by doing something he’d want us to do … let’s continue Amos’ life’s work by following his example. Doing so would make him proud.
I miss Amos already, and I will miss sharing the editorial page with him, but I personally vow to continue “just tellin’” the truth and fighting for our community. The Recorder will continue to do that as well — that is what made this newspaper’s relationship with Amos so wonderful … we were in sync with one another. The Recorder will continue the work that needs to be done. On behalf of the Recorder family, we bid Amos a sad farewell. As Amos has said so many times before when he wrote about a fallen lion in this community, I say the same thing: rest well our good and faithful servant. Rest well.
