From Birmingham jail to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Alexander Brown recounts his role in the Civil Rights Movement.
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– At 78 years old, Alexander Brown can still point to the exact line where his name appears in history.“Here we are, Alexander Lionel Brown, 1963, April 9th,” he reads aloud. He turns a few pages to another name — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Brown’s activism began as a teenager in Alabama. After participating in a school protest, he was called to assist the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Selma. “I convinced grandma that it was important, and she gave me permission to be a part of it,” Brown recalled.In 1963, Brown marched in Birmingham demonstrations that drew national attention.“In one of the marches, we were almost trampled, running because they put the hoses on us,” Brown said. “Those hoses would bear the bark off of oak trees.”“That’s during the time that Martin Luther King wrote the letter from the Birmingham jail,” Brown said. The letter, written by Martin Luther King Jr. while imprisoned, would become one of the most significant documents of the movement. Brown did not know at the time that history was unfolding just floors away.“We were going to jail and putting on our suits and ties and shining our shoes to make sure that we presented ourselves well in this effort,” he said.Two years later, in 1965, Brown stood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma for what would become known as Bloody Sunday. He arrived late that day and found himself near the back of the line. Leaders including future Congressman John Lewis were at the front. “When we looked around, we were on the bridge, and there were mounted police coming toward us,” Brown said. “On the other end of the bridge, police with batons were coming to us. And they tear-gassed us on the bridge.”Brown says he couldn’t see everything happening at the front because of the crowd. “You couldn’t really see it because people were everywhere,” he said. “When we finally got off the bridge, we were running back to Brown Chapel Church in Selma.”“When I look back, I think you should have been scared,” he said. “But I wasn’t. I was just so pumped up because we were fighting for our freedom.” They were fighting, he said, to remove “white” and “colored” signs from bathrooms and water fountains and for the right to sit at lunch counters and vote without barriers. Television cameras captured the violence that day, galvanizing national support for voting rights legislation. At the time, Brown says, he didn’t realize he was living through a moment that would be taught in history books. “I really believe that the God I serve orders our steps,” he said. “All the stuff that I went through, nobody but Him could have brought me safely through that.”“The offense was in 1963, and here we are in 2009 being remembered to be pardoned for our participation,” he said. “It was a reminder of how good my God had been to me.”“If I had to do it all over again, I would. It wouldn’t change nothing.” He says his faith carried him through the violence, the arrests and the uncertainty, and still sustains him today. “I’m not going to let anything or anybody take my joy,” Brown said. “And my joy has come from my relationship with God all these years.” More than six decades later, the teenager who once convinced his grandmother to let him march is now a living witness to a movement that reshaped America and a reminder that history is often written by ordinary people who decide to step forward.Gage Divin is a photojournalist at KPRC, where he’s always chasing the next big story — whether it’s on the field or breaking in real time. Gage is passionate about capturing moments that matter and telling stories that make a difference. His work has earned multiple honors, reflecting his dedication to both the craft and the communities he covers.Mom killed by suspected drunk driver in west HoustonWhat U.S. citizens in Mexico should do amid unrest following cartel leader killingBuckle up, Houston: rollercoaster weather ahead with warmer highsHomeowner shot in killed during a reported burglary at Memorial area residenceWhat we know about the Hitchcock mayor after his organized crime arrestMagnolia ISD approves daily prayer period under new Texas law'Her body is still in the river somewhere': Camp Mystic seeks to reopen after deadly floodExplaining Magnolia ISD's optional daily prayer period
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