BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " Dr PAUL BRINSON " A CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND FRIEND OF THE KING FAMILY : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK HEROES "

          BLACK   SOCIAL   HISTORY                                                                                                                      

Dr  PAUL BRINSON                                                                                                                                         BIOGRAPHY

Rev. Dr. Albert Paul Brinson

On a spring day in 1938, Albert Paul Brinson was born a “Grady baby” in the blacks only wing of the famously segregated Grady Hospital in Atlanta, GA. He grew up in the Grady Homes public housing project, nestled just across the street from the hospital and next to Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood. It was this proximity to “the richest negro street in the world” that would ultimately lead Albert out and up of the projects and on to a life of great purpose.

When he was just seven years old, Albert’s father left his family behind. His grandmother, “Bea Jackie” and his mother Gertrude would settle for nothing less than the best for young Albert. Members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church family, the Brinson family made sure Albert worked hard on his studies and made it to church each week. Searching for a father figure, Albert found one as he ran in and out freely of the King family home in Sweet Auburn. Rev. King Senior served not only as his pastor, but also as a surrogate father and mentor. His son, Martin, was an older brother figure and someone whose path to follow closely.

Albert received a private education, thanks to scholarship, from a Catholic school that now stands within the parameters of the Dr. Martin Luther King Center. He was a studious choirboy who absorbed every bit of guidance his elders offered. When it came time for high school graduation, Albert had a fortuitous encounter with Dr. Benjamin Mays, President of Morehouse College. One afternoon, Albert walked into the King family kitchen and was asked to taste test what Mrs. King was cooking for dinner. “Dr. Mays is coming over for dinner,” she told him. “You should stick around and join us.” Though intimidated, Albert stayed. Dr. Mays saw the potential that the Kings had been nurturing and Albert went on to study at Morehouse that fall. He received a scholarship from the Kings to attend.
It was 1960 and Albert was a student at Morehouse. The sit-in movement took off and the black students of Atlanta knew they had to join the movement. Alongside Julian Bond and many other classmates, Albert began to meet to write The Appeal for Human Rights. The appeal detailed their complaints with the status quo and their many hopes for future change. It was published in three Atlanta newspapers and in the six days following, students held sit-ins throughout the city. Albert participated in various locations and like many others, was arrested for his actions.

Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia

Albert continued fighting for civil rights as he started his young adult life. He married his wife Vivian that fall and soon launched a career as a teacher. He and Vivian had three children. For several years, Albert fought the call to ministry. He’d spent his life in the church but saw so many other professional opportunities to advance not only his own career, but also the collective success of and progress of the African American community. Ignoring the constant tug of ministry, Albert took a position as one of the first black managers of a major airline. It was while he was working there that Dr. King, his surrogate older brother, stopped into Atlanta amidst a whirlwind of marches and speeches. As he flew into town, Albert met “ML” at the airport. On the way home, Albert confessed that he needed to speak with ML about something that had been bothering him. ML already knew what they needed to talk about. They sat talking late into the night about Albert’s call to ministry and his reluctance to answer it. ML urged his friend to follow God’s path.  Albert insisted he wasn’t good enough to do that kind of work and ML assured him that God would do his work through Albert in spite of himself and that it does not take a perfect man to do God’s work. Soon after, Albert was at his job at the airport when he received news that his dear friend had been killed. It was there that he personally escorted Coretta as she boarded her flight to Memphis.

Dr. Brinson with Rev. King Sr.

Albert resisted the call to ministry no longer, accepted his first Senior Pastor appointment, and went on to serve the American Baptist Church for more than forty years. He is now retired and serves as Pastor Emeritus at the American Baptist Historical Society in Atlanta, Georgia. He continues to speak about his many rich experiences and relationships furthering what Dr. King’s dream and what he called “the bel