Civil rights leader Harold Brown died this month. His legacy lives on in San Diego

Dr. Harold K. Brown, known as Hal, died in June at 92, leaving behind a legacy of civil rights activism in San Diego. Born in segregated York, Pennsylvania, he moved to San Diego in 1953 on a basketball scholarship to San Diego State University, where he later became president of the school’s first Black fraternity. Despite facing systemic racism—including redlining, job discrimination, and housing restrictions—Brown became a key figure in San Diego’s civil rights movement. In 1961, he founded the local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), leading protests against institutions like Bank of America and San Diego Gas & Electric for refusing to hire Black employees. His activism included sit-ins, pickets, and arrests, with Brown emphasizing that Black people ‘love freedom’ as much as anyone else. He also hosted a radio show, *Viewpoints*, discussing racial issues with both Black and white listeners. Beyond San Diego, Brown worked as deputy director of the Peace Corps in Lesotho, challenging apartheid while teaching and banking. He later earned an MBA from Fordham University and returned to San Diego as SDSU’s first Black administrator in 1971. There, he created the Africana Studies department, one of the first in the nation, and hired Shirley Weber, now California’s first Black Secretary of State. Brown’s direct leadership and professionalism shaped SDSU’s diversity efforts during a time of racial tension. His wife, Lovie LaVerne Brown, stood by him throughout his life. Though he avoided public recognition, his work reshaped San Diego’s social landscape, ensuring lasting progress for Black communities.