Drewary J. Brown
Drewary J. Brown (1918-1998) was a Charlottesville civil rights leader, community organizer, and “bridge builder.”
Biography
Brown grew up on Washington Street. His father was lynched when Brown was three years old.[1]
Brown fought in World War II, and returned to Charlottesville with the goal of improving his community for everyone. Brown emphasized unity between races, classes, and generations.
Positions
At a City Council public hearing in October 1983, he spoke in favor of issuance of $9.5 million in bonds for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to pay a private developer for what would become the Omni Hotel. [3]
Legacy
With Jay Worrall, Brown co-founded the Monticello Area Community Action Agency.[4] Brown also helped found the Central Virginia Opportunities Industrialization Council to educate and train the unemployed and underemployed. He served as chair of the NAACP, as a member of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Jail Board, and on the City Police Review Board. The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce awarded Brown with the Paul Goodloe McIntire Citizenship Award in 1989.[5] In 1998, City Council also voted to name a bridge after Brown. The Drewary J. Brown Bridge now crosses the railroad tracks on West Main Street.[6] Additionally, Preservation Piedmont annually honors several “Bridge Builders” such as Brown with the Bridge Builder Award, who have worked to increase opportunities for all members of the community across lines of division.[6][7]
Frances Brand portrait
Brown is one of several people commemorated by the late 20th-century artist Frances Brand as part of her Firsts series.[8]
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External Links
Interview with Drewary Brown about civil rights provided by UVa Library
References
- ↑ Web. From Porch Swings to Patios: Oral History Project - Interview of Drewary Brown on December 16, 1980, Department of Community Planning Advisory Board, retrieved February 6, 2012.
- ↑ Print: City activist Brown dies at 80, Michael Cardman, Daily Progress, Media General April 6, 1998, Page A1.
- ↑ Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, October 24, 1983.
- ↑ Web. Online Exhibit: Frances Brand Collection, Part One Exhibit, Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, retrieved 15 Feb 2012.
- ↑ Web. Paul Goodloe McIntire Citizenship Award, Website, Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, retrieved November 14, 2017.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Web. Bridge Builders Awards Given Out, Venton Blandin, newsplex.com, Gray Television, Inc., Sep 21, 2006, retrieved Feb 7, 2012.
- ↑ Web. BridgeBuilders 2001-2016, Preservation Piedmont, 2019, retrieved 16 June, 2022.
- ↑ Branigan, Michelle Marie (December 1998). A Biography of Frances Brand, an American Painter and Social Activist (PhD). Indiana University.