Rev. L. Francis Griffin

Jet, June 7, 2004 by Simeon Booker

Confidential: While news headlines across the country centered on events linked to the 50th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Topeka Board of Education case, officials at many of the nation's Black civil rights, social and economic organizations scrambled to select appropriate and uncontroversial winners for their annual awards presentations scheduled for later in the year.

For instance, the NAACP seemed likely to choose between a minister or lawyer for the Spingarn Medal while the Congressional Black Caucus seemed bogged down in keeping its major awards within its own membership. Meanwhile, the bravest of the lot remains Virginia's pastor, the Rev. L. Francis Griffin of Farmville, who led his flock even while the schools were closed down for five years. Today one of his sons urged neighbors over 60 to return to school to learn how to read. So far, Rev. Griffin's heroic deeds hardly have been mentioned...