Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown receives NAACP’s Spingarn Medal

JANS – On July 22, 2026, during its 117th National Convention in Chicago, the NAACP awarded its Spingarn Medal to Jim Hill High School graduate Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown. The Spingarn Medal is bestowed upon those whose life work reflects selfless pursuit of freedom and equality for all.

Rev. Dr. Brown joins a distinguished list of recipients of the NAACP’s highest honor. First awarded to Ernest Everett Just in 1915, among the legends receiving this award are W.E.B. DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte,  Myrlie Evers-Williams, James Clyburn, and Hazel Dukes.   

Rev. Dr. Brown’s early work includes joining the Freedom Riders and helping to organize voter registration in the South. During the past half century, he has served as pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. His ministry includes advocating for global human rights and against systemic inequities.

He has spent his life working for economic justice, educational equity,  criminal justice reform, dismantling South Africa’s apartheid system, and interfaith coalition building. As part of his lifelong civil rights work, Rev. Dr. Brown served as Vice Chair of the California Reparations Commission and the San Francisco Reparations Commission, which resulted in apologies from the state and local Reparations Commissions. 

NAACP Board Chair Leon W. Russell said: “Rev. Dr. Amos Brown represents the NAACP tradition of service, leadership, and sacrifice. He has stood at the forefront of the fight for justice, bringing clarity, courage, and conviction to some of the most important civil rights struggles of our time. It is an honor to recognize his life’s work with the Spingarn Medal.” 

“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the Spingarn Medal,” said Rev. Dr. Amos Brown. “This recognition reflects the collective work and shared commitment of those who continue to stand for justice, equality, and human dignity.”