A section of East Broad Street in Savannah will soon honor the legacy of Rev. Matthew Southall Brown, Sr., a respected pastor who served the community for over three decades.
City officials and community leaders will gather Friday, March 28, at 1 p.m. at the intersection of East Broad and Hartridge streets for the naming ceremony.
“For many of us, he was a father, mentor, confidant, encourager, and trailblazer,” Mayor Van Johnson said after Rev. Brown’s death in 2021. “His branches are too many to count and the loss to our community is enormous. The teacher has left the classroom.”
Brown led St. John Baptist Church “The Mighty Fortress” from 1969 until his retirement in 2004. During his time as pastor, he created housing for elderly and disabled residents and established education centers in the community.
Born in Savannah in 1922, Brown served in World War II before earning his degree from American Baptist Seminary in 1961. After a fire destroyed his church in 1993, he rallied the community to rebuild it.
The street naming ceremony is free and open to the public. Drivers should note that East Broad Street between Nicoll Street and Hartridge Street will be closed from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for the event.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
