[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25581]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO PHILIP L. BROWN, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 22, 2009

  Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, the State of Maryland and the American 
people lost a great educator and civil rights icon when Philip L. Brown 
Sr. passed away at his home in Annapolis, Maryland on October 16 at the 
age of 100. I rise to honor this man who was pivotal in the 
desegregation of our Nation's public schools. My heart goes out to his 
wife of over 77 years, Rachel; his sons Philip L. Brown Jr. and Errol 
E. Brown Sr.; his four grandchildren; his 10 great-grandchildren; and 
his six great-great-grandchildren during this very difficult time.
  Philip L. Brown served as a teacher and administrator in the Anne 
Arundel County school system for more than 40 years. His commitment to 
civil rights began early in his career. In 1938, Mr. Brown and his 
wife, Rachel Hall Brown, formed the Colored Teachers Association which 
promoted equal pay for African American teachers. Their civil rights 
struggle helped change history in 1940 when Mr. Brown became part of a 
successful lawsuit seeking equal pay for Anne Arundel County teachers. 
This was one of several cases that laid the legal foundation for Brown 
v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court case that forced integration 
of our Nation's schools. Thurgood Marshall represented the teachers, 
arguing their case before a federal court in Baltimore.
  Mr. Brown was born in Annapolis in 1909 and earned an elementary 
teacher's certificate in 1928 from the Bowie Normal School, now Bowie 
State University. He and his wife earned bachelor's degrees from Morgan 
State and master's degrees from New York University.
  After his retirement in 1970, Mr. Brown wrote four books on the 
subject of African American history in Anne Arundel County.
  Let us honor Philip L Brown Sr. as an educator and civil rights 
pioneer and for his determination in bringing about equality in 
America.

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