Remembering ‘pastor by pastor’ and World War II veteran Matthew Southall Brown Sr.: NPR

Pastor Matthew Southall Brown Sr., a retired Baptist preacher and decorated veteran, is being held and remembered this weekend in Savannah, Ga. Brown passed away late last month of natural causes. He is 99 years old.

Brown was a member of the 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, Company E, an isolated support unit. He was one of the first African-Americans to leave the military and fight in World War II. He has won the Medal of Good Conduct, the World War II Victory Medal, as well as the American Theater Ribbon, among other accolades.

“He was in… a designated regiment of black African-American soldiers called in to help with the Battle of the Bulge, so there’s a great history there,” said his son, Matthew Southall. Brown Jr., told local TV station WTOC.

“Their ranks were stripped because they couldn’t rank higher than white soldiers, so all of that took a special culmination in his desire to make sure that the wrongs have been corrected and justice will prevail,” he said.

After the war, Brown Sr. attended Georgia State College, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Theology from American Baptist College in Nashville.

Brown is also involved in civil rights work in his hometown, Savannah. Several decades before June 13 became a federal holiday, he participated in the annual Liberation Day parades as a young boy.

To local faith leaders, Brown is “pastor by pastor.” He retired as pastor emeritus of St. John Baptist after 35 years in 2004, and host “Thought For The Day”, a local morning radio show. The National Baptist Convention recognized Brown in 2013 for his more than 50 years of service.

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., has a close relationship with Brown.

“As a child of Savannah, I join many others to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Savannah’s Chief Pastor, Father Matthew Southall Brown. He was like a mentor to me, a father and a shining example of a pastor whose ministry has reached far beyond the walls of his church,” tweeted Sen. Warnock, who is also senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the church once run by Father Martin Luther King Jr.

In an interview with WSAV, Warnock reflected on Brown’s accomplishments as a minister, activist, and veteran.

“With his generation, he recalls a time when it was really difficult, especially for black people,” the senator said. “He’s seen Jim Crow discrimination but he’s never felt bitter about it. He’s a patriot, served in the armed forces but he’s also been in the military. serve in the lord’s nonviolent army.”

In August 2019, Brown and family members attended the launch of “a year-long nationwide celebration of gratitude and remembrance in the city of Ternuzen, Belgium” for World War veterans. War II, in the words of Leonard Brown, the pastor’s son.

According to Leonard Brown, seven veterans have been invited from Poland, France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States. Pastor Brown was the only African-American veteran there, he met and spoke with heads of state, senior officials from The Hague, ambassadors, and “inquisitive kids” .”

Last year, Savannah city officials declared July 16 – Brown’s 98th birthday – as the official date in his honor. Citizens drove to his house with well wishes while he sat in his rocking chair welcoming passersby from his front porch.

“I’ve had a nice trip. I’ve had a great 98 years. Ninety-nine and a half won’t make it, I’m waiting over 100,” he told the WTOC, with a smile.

Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson released the statement shortly after Brown’s death.

“For many of us,” The mayor wrote on Facebook, “he was a spiritual father, mentor, confidant, encourager, and pioneer. His branches are too many to count and the loss to our community is enormous. big.”

Brown Sr. is survived by his four children, Maxine Jones, Leonard Brown, Christa Stephens and Matthew Southall Brown Jr.