Dr. Thomas Brewer: Civil Rights Leader

One of the local heroes of the civil rights movement, Dr. Thomas Brewer sought to bring equal rights to his fellow African American. During his lifetime, he made great efforts to push city leaders to support adequate parks, libraries, and recreation centers for Black residents. He was also instrumental in having the Columbus police force integrated and had the local golf course opened to Black players. He was so strong willed and determined, that he earned the nickname “Chief“ by his associates. Without his presence, the Black community of Columbus, GA would not have come as far as they did. He was the sole driving force for the entire civil rights movement in Columbus.

Dr. Thomas Brewer was born on November 16, 1984 in Saco, Alabama. After graduating from high school and college in Selma, he eventually earned his medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. In 1920, Brewer moved to Columbus, GA amidst a thriving Black professional community. He opened his practice on the 1000 block of 1st avenue. In 1929, he established the Social-Civic-25 Club with several other Black professionals. This club would help other young Black men with finding work, financial assistance, and educational opportunities. Ten years later, he would establish the first chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Columbus with the same men from the Social-Civic-25 Club. Due to his aggressiveness in social change, he was called Chief by those who knew him. One of his most notable achievements was the orchestration for Primus King to attack all white primary voting system in Columbus by attempting to vote at the Muscogee County Courthouse on July 4, 1944. He was a generous donor during the two-year long court battle which eventually led to the courts ruling in favor of Primus King. This victory allowed African Americans the right to vote in Georgia elections.

Continuing on the heels of his previous victory with voting, he began campaigning for the hiring of Black police officers in the Columbus police department. In 1951, four young Black men were hired to patrol Black neighborhoods in downtown Columbus. Among his many other deeds, was the establishment of the fourth street library which would later be known as the Mildred T. Library. He also had the county commissioner establish adequate parks for African Americans. The first being the Carver Park which opened in 1952. Eventually, he would petition for the Lions Club to open the public golf course to Black players. Tension between Brewer and the Ku Klux Klan began to rise as he began to support integration of schools even before the decision of Brown Vs. Board of Education in May 1954. He had tried many times before the ruling to get more support for Black schools but was ultimately rejected. To combat the integration of schools, the state board would make membership to the NAACP illegal, so all teachers who were part of the chapter had to quit or forever lose their teaching license. The school board used Brewer’s association with the NAACP as a way of hurting anyone who would support integration of schools. They had until September 15, 1956 to comply. 

Unfortunately, before that could come to fruition, Dr. Thomas Brewer was killed on February 18, 1956. An altercation between Lucio Flower, the store owner who rented the building from Dr. Brewer, occurred when he went to talk to Mr. Flowers about an incident that happened days before. That incident was the beating of a Black man outside his store by the police in which Dr. Brewer wanted to file a complaint for police brutality. Lucio Flower had also saw what happened but didn’t want any part in filing the complaint. Flower’s has said the Dr. Brewer was so upset with him that he threatened to kill him, however people who have known Dr. Brewer for many years believe that isn’t true. Brewer was shot seven times by Lucio Flower and the two witnesses in the store at the time agreed with Flowers that Dr. Brewer was reaching for his pocket at the time he was shot. Due to the evidence, Dr. Brewers’ death was ruled as self-defense, so Flowers was never charged. To make matters more interesting, Lucio Flowers was found dead almost a year later a couple of blocks from his store. His death was ruled a suicide by the authorities. Many believe that Dr. Brewers death was a conspiracy that Flowers was involved in and was eventually taken care of as a loose end. No matter what happened, Columbus had a lost an influential leader in the fight for civil rights.

Dr. Brewer made many feel that change was on the horizon. He was so loved that more than 2,000 people attended his funeral. His death led to a mass exodus of African Americans from Columbus. In 1989, the Mayor and Governor of Georgia issued a proclamation naming November 19, 1989 as Dr. Thomas H. Brewer Sr. day. This day followed the unveiling of an historical marker outside of his office on 1st Avenue.

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