Longtime Civil Rights Activists Lewis A. Brandon, III & Rev.

Nelson Johnson present to local mentoring group

Pictured Beloved Community Center Grassroots History Coordinator, Mr. Lewis A. Brandon, III shares experiences in Greensboros civil rights history with young men from the African American Male Leadership Summit.

by Tim Gwyn Greensboro, NC - Longtime civil rights activists Mr. Lewis A. Brandon, III and Rev. Nelson Johnson spoke to a group of young men from the African American Male Leadership Summit of the Beta Epsilon Boul, on March 14 at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, about their experiences from the civil rights movement in Greensboro. The African African Male Leadership Summit is a program that provides positive role models and mentoring opportunities to young African American males. The leaders of this African Male Leadership Summit sought to expose the young men to civil rights activist in the Greensboro community. Brandon and Johnson have played a pivotal role in the civil rights and social justice movement in Greensboro over the last 40 years. Brandon, who was a major participant and organizer in the Greensboro Sit-ins during the 1960s, shared with students that Greensboro was important to the civil rights movement. "Greensboro has been the spark plug of major events around the country." Brandon went on to say that history occurs in our community, and you dont have to look outside of Greensboro for history. "There are firsts in this community [Greensboro], citing that Attorney Walter Johnson was the first Black to graduate from Law School at Duke University; Tom Alston, Greensboro, native and North Carolina A&T State University graduate, was the first Black to play in the major leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals; we see other people as first, but we dont see people in our community as first. Johnson shared his experiences in organizing GAPP (Greensboro Association of Poor People), the Blind Workers Strike of 1970 and the Truth and Reconciliation Process. Both Brandon and Johnson engaged the students in understanding how the struggles of the 1960s are connected to the struggles of their generation today. For more information about the African American Male Leadership Summit, contact Mr.Walter Johnson at wtjohn2@gmail.com