Rest In Peace, Kofi Brown
1926 - 1998
[Reprinted from Issues & Views Fall 1998]
On June 21, 1998, Kofi Brown peacefully left this world. He was one month
shy of 73 years. His life had spanned an economic Depression, three U.S. wars,
and civil turbulence.
He had known what it was like to live in the close knit black community of
Wilmington, North Carolina, where he was born and raised, and later he was to
become a revered fixture among a circle of admirers in New York City.
After serving in the Army during the Korean war, he settled in Harlem and
joined the city’s transit system (MTA), where he worked until retirement.
It is these retirement years for which he is most remembered by many. Instead
of taking the city’s generous pension and running off to a sunny climate
to hibernate, he determined to use his resources to further the work of the
fraternal organization he and others in Harlem had founded in 1960.
The Our Families Protection Association (OFPA) offered a context for
like-minded people to come together. Although its goals were more modest, in
many ways it shared the ideals of Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement
Association (UNIA). Kofi was a devoted admirer of Garvey. Article II of
OFPA’s Constitution reads: "This Association shall endeavor to bring
together families for the protection of each other and teach one another better
ways to live. We shall prepare to help in emergencies and associate for love,
recreation, business, etc."
Perhaps what will be most remembered about Kofi by those who knew him were
his vigorous conversation and debate. At his crowded memorial service, his
friends and friendly foes recalled with affection the many heated discussions
on critical topics that usually ended in a harmonious decision to agree to
disagree. Kofi had little patience with the devious twistings and turnings of
local or national politics, and looked upon attachments to political parties or
ideologies as so much misguided silliness. "A bag of tricks," is how
he dismissed the convoluted games of politics.
Although he and I disagreed on a lot of issues, perhaps what kept us linked
was our shared regard for the legacies of Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey
and Malcolm X. In the case of Booker T., we both were inspired by
Washington’s sincere determination to see blacks uplift themselves through
their own labor and ingenuity. Whereas, with Garvey and Malcolm, we were drawn
differently to aspects of each man’s complex identity and mission.
We were, however, on the same page in our shared disdain of the generations
of corrupt black elites who, in sheep’s clothing, are the wolves primarily
responsible for the social and economic deterioration of blacks.
Kofi became a devoted fan of Issues & Views. Not only was the
newsletter distributed at all OFPA meetings and special events, excerpts from
it were reprinted in the regular information flyers Kofi mailed out to the
organization’s members and inquirers. "Real Freedom Is Not
Free!" read the logo atop all flyers. He taught that the chains that kept
masses of blacks bound were forged primarily in conditioned negative attitudes.
You are already missed, Kofi Brown. Rest in peace.
Elizabeth Wright, editor
Copyright 1998 © Issues & Views
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