Binding Us Together

A Civil Rights Activist Reflects on a Lifetime of Community and Public Service

De: Alvin L. Brooks

Narrado por: Alvin L. Brooks

Few have faced adversity like Alvin Brooks has. He was born into an impoverished family, he nearly lost his adoptive father to the justice system of the South, and he barely survived a health crisis in infancy. However, his greatest challenges would be learning how to navigate a racist society as a young boy and then later protecting his beloved wife, Carol, and their six children.

Despite all the adversity he faced, Brooks became a lifelong leader and a servant of his community. Brooks served as one of Kansas City’s first Black police officers in the fifties, helped to heal the racial divide after the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., founded the AdHoc Group Against Crime, affecting real change in city government, and met with successive American presidents on national issues. When it comes to criminal justice, civil rights, and racial inequity, Brooks’ lifetime of building bridges across society’s divides helps us better understand our past, make sense of our present, and envision our future.

Alvin Brooks proves that a good heart, a generous spirit, and a lot of work can connect the world; one person can make a difference by binding us together.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Alvin L. Brooks (P)2021 Andrews McMeel Publishing

An honor…

I spent the weekend listening to Mr. Brooks’s story. It was an honor to learn about the impact he had on Kansas City and beyond. I’m blessed to have watched a portion of his life unfold when I served as a Council Aide during his second term until the present day. He is an iconic public servant, a civil rights giant, an extraordinary gentleman, a scholar and most importantly a loving husband and father. His story is a blueprint of what it means to live a life of substance. He paved the way for so many of us to attain greatness. As Deputy City Manager for Kansas City, I acknowledge his journey as the catalyst for all of the Black staff that served in the highest positions in KC, since he became the first Black director of the Human Relations Department. Great read, inspiring and a gift to our city. Thank
you, Mr.’Brooks.