Edgar George Brown (1898–1954) was a civil rights advocate, tennis player, union organizer, and politician in the United States. He was active in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C., where he was a lobbyist[1] and advocate for low paid African American laborers.[2]

Edgar G. Brown (left) with Leon Henderson and Donald Gordon in the early 1940s

He was born in Sandoval, Illinois. He was a four-time American Tennis Association champion[2] (1922, 1923, 1928 and 1929). He was known as a master of topspin.[3] He was one of the founders of the National Lawn Tennis Association.[4]

He was a member of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Black Cabinet, a founding member of the National Negro Council, and the United Government Employees Union. In July 1941, Brown staged a one-person sit-down strike in Washington National Airport's main coffee shop after being refused a cup because of his being Black.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Edgar G. Brown: Lobbyist, Union President, and Tennis Champion". amistadresearchctr. October 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Facincani, Lee (October 9, 2017). "Edgar G. Brown: Lobbyist, Union President, and Tennis Champion". amistadresearchctr.
  3. ^ Boyd, Todd (October 30, 2008). African Americans and Popular Culture [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313064081 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "The Week's Census". Jet. April 22, 1954 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Bay, Mia (2021). Traveling Black : a story of race and resistance. Cambridge. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-674-25869-3. OCLC 1240721150.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)