Ferguson X: A Conversation With Mike Brown Sr.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch / Getty

In recognition of the 10th anniversary of both the brutal public execution of 18-year-old Michael Brown, Jr., by former Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson, on August 9th, 2014, and the uprising that called a movement together that followed, Ferguson activist Tory Russell recently sat down for a conversation with Mike Brown, Sr.

Tory knew that we needed to start where Michael Brown started: With his family. To that end, two days ago, on Aug. 7th in St. Louis, he and scholar and professor, Dr. Travis Harris, met with Brown Sr.

MORE: Ferguson X: Mike Brown Should Be Here, Be 28, And Be Living His Best Life

Dr. Travis was living in Virginia and just beginning his graduate work at the College of William and Mary when the horror of August 9th – and the power of the uprising – unfolded. He traveled to Ferguson for the first time in October 2014 to lend his body, breath and brilliance to the national call to action by Tory in the fall of that year. He went back to finish his PhD, but his heart never really left Ferguson and over the years, he built deep relationships, including with Tory and Mike Brown Sr.

“He’s a soft-spoken, quiet man,” Tory told NewsOne about Brown Sr.

Watching him unfold himself in the safety of brotherhood was an amazing sight – even knowing the closeness that had developed between him and Dr. Travis, who I wanted to ask what the moment was during the interview – that took his breath away.

Dr. Travis said in a voice that was equal parts calm and brimming with emotion, “I asked him if he thought that it could be his son laying there in that street?”

Mr. Brown paused, but only slightly and then answered, “I always thought it would be me.”

After that, Tory and Dr. Travis – who were on a morning call together – went silent. They needed to hold the solemnity of that statement.

And then finally, “Me too,” said Tory.  “That’s why I do this work. I always thought it would be me laying there. But when they killed one of our children,” the father of two continued. “I knew exactly what I needed to commit my life to.”

With love, grace, hope and gratitude, here is Ferguson X: NewsOne’s conversation with Mike Brown Sr.

SEE ALSO:

‘The Work That Remains’: Ben Crump Commemorates Michael Brown’s Life 10 Years Later With A Call To Action

Michael Brown And The Legacy Of Police Violence In Black Communities

The post Ferguson X: A Conversation With Mike Brown Sr. appeared first on NewsOne.

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