Passing of the Giants
Minister Clemson Brown (cont.)
In addition to his filming, he also worked very hard around the church. Nothing was beneath his concern and his labor. Some of the construction work he did in his construction company RECAP. We all laugh now when we think about his removal of the dirt in the church basement. As many of you’ve been down to the restrooms in our church basement and must have saw how clean and beautifully it was kept and well designed. There is even space for the ladies' rest lounge, it is hard to believe, and to convince people, that once upon a time that was all dirt, backed up to the walls.
Minister Brown organized the youth, some of them as young as twelve and thirteen years old had started digging out the dirt. He created a conveyors belt that moved the dirt from down in the basement up to the ground floor where it could be removed from the church to the street. He was super special, he never tried to get in front of the camera. He was always content being behind filming the activities. The exception is when any of our people were in danger. Then, he became a raging tiger and would forget that his role was to record history.
He was not just a professional videographer and traveling companion, but he was my friend. Traveling together, as I have stated, to the farthest corners of the world, up and down America. He invested his own resources; I can’t ever remember buying any of his equipment. I’m certain that we did raise money for his travel and his equipment, but he never made it publicly or privately known that he was in desperate need. To his family, wife Lady Brown, son Junior and daughter Herlina, we all owe you a debt of gratitude which no words could ever express, for allowing him to invest so much time, energy, resources in the freedom struggle for our people.
There wasn’t anything I can think of that he would not do or give or say if it meant progress for our people. He truly believed that if our people knew who they really were, they would be further along on the freedom trail than they are now. And his primary role was to show, teach, by any means necessary, but especially by technological means, i.e., video, compact disc., voice record or anyway that would provide information for the people.
*I don’t know how many people have seen Loud Mouth starring Rev. Al Sharpton. Some of the footage comes from Minister Brown’s work.*
Well, I’ll conclude with the words of Apostle Paul, I believe they are most applicable to Minister Clemson Brown, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8 KJV So long old friend, brother and comrade, may bands of angels sing you to your rest. Paraphrasing the words of Marcus Garvey, “we will look for you in the whirlwind”. Wherever there is a fight on behalf of our people, we will look for you there. And I will see you again, one day soon. In 1983, as I became health conscious I organized a church committee, we called it Focus on Health and Progress. It was a sheet or up to several sheets sized 8 ½ x 11. One of the features was a particular person in our church. As I was going through my old files, I believe I was led of the Lord to some of the Focus on Health and Progress and I came across the edition in which Minister Brown was the focus. Some of this is repitious, but I thought it had a special quality to having this written back around 1983. See attachment below: