I knew Amos Brown’s name before I moved to Indianapolis two and a half years ago. I was a budding blogger and musician, with little writing experience apart from academically motivated papers and frequent Facebook rants. After graduating college, I was a nomadic millennial armed with a degree and no desire to commit myself to a traditional career path. I had never lived or worked anywhere for more than one calendar year before deciding Indy was the city where I would finally plant my roots.
The summer prior to relocating from The Region, I used my growing social media network to seek fellow community-minded Black people in Indianapolis. I was newly politicized on social issues by what is now known as Black Twitter, and I hoped to find peers where I would soon call home. My search led me to Amos Brown’s political quips and nuggets of wisdom crammed into 140 characters on his Twitter feed, and then to “Afternoons with Amos” and “Just Tellin’ It.”
I did not know then I would never meet Amos in person before his untimely death, but I was a student of this firebrand nonetheless. Amos left a legacy of affirming and uplifting the voices of Black people, people of color, working families and the poor. As an investigative journalist, he held our city and state public officials accountable in a way no one else could. His leadership provided meticulously archived stories of underrepresented and unheard Hoosiers for generations to come. He championed the independent voice. He made his platform and on-air personality his own.
It’s been a heartbreaking year for our community. We buried three other unapologetically Black and politically clear leaders — Bill Mays, Bill Crawford and James Depp. In the wake of each passing, especially after Amos, a resounding question echoed in and beyond the Black community: who will be our voice now? Today I wrestle with the same question as a young Black woman assuming the writer’s mantle. The underlying message implies Amos’ advocacy work was the only social and political platform for Black people in Indianapolis.
Local community leaders and media pundits lament a communication gap. A space reserved for an independent voice that was once occupied by Amos Brown now sits empty. The gap is real, but the weight our voices hold in the public sphere is largely misunderstood. The gap existed long before and during Amos’ time with us. Amos was just one person seeking to fill it, and he served our community well despite historical barriers and present-day challenges for highly visible Black people engaging in local politics. We know his name and mourn with his loved ones, because he labored to consistently represent us and others, but also because mainstream platforms marginalize and give little space to so few people like Amos. When we submit ourselves to the idea that one person can speak for entire communities, we act as monolithic gatekeepers to our own detriment. We dismiss every young person striving to be an independent voice and marginalize them in the same way Amos was. Our futile efforts to determine who is next in line deter us from asking substantive questions. Who do we silence or silo? In what ways do we fail to invest in independent voices? How do we change course?
The past three years mark a rebirth of independent Black platforms, primarily led by young people creatively utilizing new mediums and technology. The political landscape amid national movements centering on Black lives require spaces to document our narratives for current and future benefit. Voices emerge when sharpened skill and communal urgency collide. The passing of Amos Brown is an unparalleled opportunity to fully realize what it means to value independent and critical voices in Indianapolis media, particularly those of color. There will never be another Amos, and there shouldn’t be. His impact cannot be replicated, but gained from and built upon. Our voices are among and within us. Listen closely.
Elle Roberts is a musician and writer based in Indianapolis. She is the founder of shehive, a grassroots gender equity project. To contact her, email elle@inxof.com.
