Millicent Brown

Millicent Ellison Brown is an American civil rights activist and educator best known for being one of the first people to racially integrate public schools in Charleston, South Carolina in 1963. She also founded the "Somebody Had to Do It" project.

Early life Millicent Brown was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. Her father was Joseph Arthur Brown, a real-estate broker and the NAACP president in Charleston and South Carolina. After the decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, Brown's family, among other African American families, began the process of enrolling their children in public schools. After pushback, Brown's family filed a lawsuit in 1959 with Brown's sister as the lead plaintiff. Despite this, Brown continued on to graduate.

Career After finishing high school, Brown went on to graduate from the College of Charleston with a B.A. in history in 1975, The Citadel with a M.Ed. in Education in 1978, and a PhD in U.S. History from Florida State University. She additionally taught at multiple schools. She wrote her dissertation while at Florida State University on the history of civil rights in Charleston from 1940 to 1970.

From 1995 to 1999, Brown worked as a professor at Bennett College.

Awards Chester C. Travelstead Award for Courage in Education (2017) Commitment to Justice Award (2021)