Burnell Brown memorial service 1 pm Saturday at Bethel Baptist

Burnell Brown was an activist in Oconee County long before I was even alive. Mr. Brown was in many ways one of the few remaining African-American activists with a one generation removed from slaves. He was much older than Oconee County itself. His parents were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. He saw it all in Watkinsville during our lifetime, from segregation to lynchings to mass murders at the city jail to eventual desegregation and integration of our public and private school. He told me stories of a currently elected Republican official offering him a bribe for "his people's votes." I am sure both Rich Rusk and Bill Yarbrough will be at his 1 pm memorial service tomorrow at Bethel Baptist Church in Watkinsville. I was honored to introduce Mr. Brown to Lt. Governor Mark Taylor at OCAF a few years ago. Please attend his memorial service tomorrow if you can.

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