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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, A former slave who rose to prominence as a |
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businessman and civic leader, Charlie Brown played a significant |
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role in the history of Brazoria County, and his life and legacy are |
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indeed worthy of tribute; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Virginia, Charlie Brown traveled west to |
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Texas following his emancipation and settled in Brazoria County; |
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though unable to read or write, he had an innate business sense that |
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led him to a number of successful entrepreneurial endeavors; he |
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harvested cedar lumber to be milled in Galveston and shipped to |
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furniture makers in New York, and his interests grew to include a |
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gristmill, a syrup mill, and a cotton gin; and |
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WHEREAS, With the wealth he acquired, Mr. Brown purchased |
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land, eventually amassing some 3,000 acres near present-day |
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Danciger and another 200 in what is now West Columbia, where at one |
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time he owned a third of the town's property; he married a former |
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slave of the Dance family, Isabella, and the couple acquired the |
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Dance estate for their home; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Brown donated land for schools in Danciger, |
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Linville, and West Columbia; the latter of the three became the |
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Charlie Brown School, which educated children of color in the |
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community for many decades before it was closed in 1965; Mr. Brown |
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believed strongly that students should learn about and understand |
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the struggles of their African American forebears, and he began a |
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Juneteenth Celebration to commemorate the end of slavery in Texas; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, When Charlie Brown passed away in 1920 at the age of |
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92, he was thought to be the wealthiest African American in the |
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state, and he was highly respected by people from all walks of life; |
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in 1955, a street was dedicated in his name by order of the city |
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council of West Columbia, and most recently, his achievements and |
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generosity were recognized with the mayoral proclamation of Charlie |
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Brown Day in West Columbia on August 30, 2014; and |
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WHEREAS, Although he lived through slavery and its |
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injustices, Charlie Brown became a prosperous landowner and a force |
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for good in his community, and his remarkable story serves as an |
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enduring source of inspiration; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby commemorate the life of Charlie Brown and honor the unique |
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contribution he made to the history of Brazoria County and the State |
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of Texas. |