By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media
The NAACP California Hawaii State Conference (Cal-Hi NAACP) honored actor and political activist Danny Glover and social justice leader Rev. Amos C. Brown at its 12th annual Legacy Hall of Fame Ceremony held at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Sacramento on June 10.
With that honor, Glover and Brown join a long list of activists, leaders and changemakers who have fought tirelessly for equal rights for African Americans, changes in law, and to advance the civil rights movement.
“These are nationally, known heavyweights,” said Cal-Hi NAACP President Rick Callender.
“They are both humble and national leaders. (The Hall of Fame) shows that they are here in attendance, reaching back into the community, and letting Mr. Glover and Rev. Brown know that they deserve this prestigious honor,” Callender continued.
The ceremony brought together a diverse group of guests, including NAACP members from across the state, corporate partners, supporters, and future leaders and delegates of the Youth and College Division.
State lawmakers in attendance were Sen. Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento) and Sen. Susan Rubio (D-West Covina).
Rubio presented Glover and Brown with Senate resolutions outlining their civil rights accomplishments.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber gave remarks focused on the character and achievements of the honorees. When she was the president of the National Council for Black Studies, Weber remembers Glover advocated for the academic discipline at San Francisco State University before he rose to fame in the film industry.
Weber also thanked Brown for his leadership as a member of the California Reparations Task Force, a nine-person panel created based on Assembly Bill (AB) 1321, legislation she authored when she served in the Assembly representing the 79th District in San Diego. After a two-year investigation and study, the task force delivered a 1,100-page report with 115 reparations recommendations to the Governor and Legislature.
“Despite all the things they have done they’ve never forgotten where they once came from,” Weber said of the Hall of Fame inductees. “They continue to hold up the banner for us and to fight for us every day. Their task now is to make sure that you pick up the banner and move forward.”
Glover was born July 22, 1947, in San Francisco. His parents, Carrie and James Glover were both United States postal workers and active members of the NAACP. While at San Francisco State College, the young Glover led a student strike. The demonstration led to the first ethnic studies department in the country.
Glover studied the art of acting at San Francisco State College and trained at the Black Actors Workshop of the American Conservatory Theater. Glover has and continues to nurture a long career in stage plays, television, and films.
Glover has produced social justice documentaries that align with his advocacy work. He has received numerous awards for his humanitarian efforts and once served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
“I certainly have so much respect for this particular moment,” Glover said of receiving NAACP honors. “But just to be around men and women of all ages, all ethnicities who work for a better community. That’s what it is all about — what it means to be a human being working on the half of humanity. Thank you for this honor.”
Rev. Amos Cleophus Brown was born Feb 20, 1941, in Jackson, Mississippi. He is one of only eight students who had the pleasure to take a college class taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
In 1961, Brown and King were arrested at a civil rights lunch counter sit-in. As a youth, Brown’s mentor was Mississippi NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers.
Brown has been the pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church in the Fillmore District since 1976. He served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1996 to 2000. Brown was first appointed to the position by former San Francisco Mayor and California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown before being elected to a two-year term.
Brown has served as national chairman for the NAACP Youth and College Division and the National Baptist Commission on Civil Rights.
He is currently the president of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP.
“I want you to know that I am 83 going on 84 but I am going to stay in the struggle (for equality),” Brown said. “I am going to stay in the struggle because God has given me strength and God has been my light. I am going to stay in the fight until Black folks receive equality and opportunities in the United States of America.”
Every year, the NAACP CA/HI State Conference inducts individuals into the Hall of Fame who exemplify the commitment and courage to advocate for the betterment of Black people in California. The event also creates funding for youth leadership programs and initiatives.
“The one thing that I really like about this event is that we really are honoring folks that have been doing the business of civil rights for their entire life,” Callender said. “We’re just saying, ‘We’ve seen what you’ve been doing, we’re watching you, and yes, you deserve to be in our Hall of Fame.’”
