By Bonnie Withers

Have you heard of Egbert Ethelred Brown? He was one of Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed’s subjects in his book, Black Pioneers in a White Denomination, and that title tells you a lot about this story. The date we are commemorating is June 25, 1912, the year Brown was ordained at Meadville Theological School. But that is not the end of the story!

Brown was born in Jamaica in 1875. After a period of time working in civil service, he decided to enter the ministry. One Sunday morning, a flash of insight about the trinity caused him to seek out a path to Unitarianism. He was accepted to Meadville in 1907. His first trip to New York resulted in immediate deportation, the second was scotched when his father reneged on the ticket, and he finally made it to start his studies in 1910.

Brown (he had dropped the Egbert from his name) then spent 8 dogged years trying unsuccessfully to establish a Unitarian congregation in Jamaica. Finally, he returned to America in 1920 to establish the Harlem Community Church in New York.

Financial problems were a continuous challenge. Brown worked second jobs, including a six-year stint he detested as an elevator operator. Sponsorship by the AUA was spotty. Finally, after he tried to solicit funds from other congregations and colleagues, the AUA censured him in 1929. He was only reinstated in 1935 after the ACLU threatened a lawsuit.

Services at Brown’s church were filled with heated political discussions led by “black socialists” and literary figures. It was a gathering place for Afro-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans for 30 years.

In the end, the AUA did award Brown a pension at age 65. To further honor him, toward the end of his life, they published the hymn “I’m On My Way”. If you check number 116 in our hymnal, you will see in the bottom right corner that the tune is named “Ethelred.” Ethelred Brown died in 1956.