BROWN, EDWARD MARTIN, III, 1919-2012.
Edward Martin Brown, III family papers, circa 1928-1987

Restrictions on Access

Special restrictions apply: Use copies have not been made for sound recordings in this collection. Researchers must contact the Rose Library in advance for access to this material.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Source

Gift of Edward Martin Brown, IV, 2012. Additions were donated by Maria Brown in 2013.

Custodial History

The donors Edward Martin Brown, IV and Maria Brown are the children of Edward Martin Brown, III.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Edward Martin Brown, III family papers, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University.

Appraisal Note

Acquired by Curator of African American Collections, Randall Burkett, as part of the Rose Library's holdings in African American culture and history and the history of Civil Rights.

Processing

Unprocessed collection.

This finding aid may include language that is offensive or harmful. Please refer to the Rose Library's harmful language statement for more information about why such language may appear and ongoing efforts to remediate racist, ableist, sexist, homophobic, euphemistic and other oppressive language. If you are concerned about language used in this finding aid, please contact us at rose.library@emory.edu.

Biographical Note

Edward Martin Brown, III (1919-2012), United Church of Christ minister and civil rights activist, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended Duke University and Yale Divinity School and also completed an internship in race relations at Fisk University. In the late 1940s, Brown was the Associate Secretary of the Student Christian Association at the University of Texas at Austin. While living in Austin, he organized numerous integrated rides on the city's buses. By the late 1950s, Brown had moved to Georgia where he monitored voter registration and was one of three white men at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). In 1959, Brown began serving as the United Church of Christ's Southern Race Relations Coordinator, a position he held until 1970.

Brown was active in various social justice movements, including the anti-nuclear movement, until his death in 2012.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of the family papers of minister and civil rights activist Edward Martin Brown, III from circa 1928-1987, including correspondence, subject files, writings, photographs, financial records, sound recordings, and printed material. The bulk of the material dates from the 1960s and reveals Brown's deep commitment to racial reconciliation, peace, and economic justice. The records also document his involvement in the United Church of Christ, as well as his work with civil rights organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The collection also includes correspondence and a small amount of other records from Brown's mother, Mary Ada ("Mada") Brown, and his son, Edward Martin Brown, IV.

Arrangement Note

Unprocessed collection.