Tony Brown (journalist)
| Tony Brown | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Anthony Brown April 11, 1933 Charleston, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist, College Dean - Hampton University, President/CEO - Tony Brown Productions, academian, comedian, businessman |
| Website | TonyBrown.com |
William Anthony "Tony" Brown (born April 11, 1933) is an American journalist, academian, comedian and businessman. He is best known as the commentator of the long running syndicated television show, Tony Brown's Journal.[1]
Brown is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Accomplishments
- 1959, he received a BA in Sociology from Wayne State University.
- 1961, he received an MA in Psychiatric Social Work from Wayne State University. He is a former faculty member at Central Washington University and Federal City College.
- 1971, he became the founding dean of Howard University's School of Communication.
- 1989, he wrote, directed, produced and distributed a dramatic movie with an anti-drug message, The White Girl.
- 1998, wrote Empower The People: A 7-Step plan to Overthrow the Conspiracy that is Stealing Your Money and Freedom
- 2002, he was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Silver Circle.
- 2004, he became the dean of Hampton University's Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications. He held the position until 2009, when he stepped down.
In 1988 he wrote, produced, and directed the film The White Girl, which dramatized an African American student's struggle with cocaine addiction.[2]
He joined the Republican Party in 1990.[3]
Anti-Hindu controversy
In 2001, Tony Brown, made several derogatory anti-Hindu remarks in his talk show on WLS 890 AM that began with the concern among American workers about the influx of software engineers from India. He evoked anti-Hindu canards such as exaggerating the importance of the Caste System in Hinduism, and made remarks about Human rights in India. Protests by Indian-American community leaders led to a public apology by Brown for his remarks against Hindus and Hinduism. In his apology, Brown said:
The statements I made were derived from either books or articles that I read. Still, I had not considered the possibility of bigots using the information to persecute the Hindu minority in this country.That does not excuse me from the pain that I have caused by not being more circumspect.[4]
After his apology, Brown also invited Swami Atmajnanananda of the Washington branch of the Ramakrishna Mission and an Indian journalist based in Chicago, J V Lakshmana Rao, to participate in the talk show. Atmajnanananda said one must draw a distinction between caste and casteism. He said:
The assumption that Hindus are inherently racists is dangerous. Caste does not play a role in one's occupation any more. One should not use the pitfalls of the Indian culture to attack Hinduism.[4]
Clearing Brown's misconceptions about lower castes "being persecuted in India", Rao spoke of affirmative actions in favor of the lower castes by the Government of India.
Bibliography
- 1997 Black Lies, White Lies: The Truth According to Tony Brown. ISBN 9780688132705
- 1999 Empower the People: Overthrow The Conspiracy That Is Stealing Your Money And Freedom. ISBN 9780688157623
- 2004 What Mama Taught Me: The Seven Core Values of Life. ISBN 9780060188696
References
- ↑ "Series Overview". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ↑ James, Caryn (February 11, 1990). "The White Girl (1990)". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Producer Tony Brown Joins Republican Party". Jet. August 12, 1991. p. 39. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- 1 2 US radio host apologises over anti-Hindu remarks, rediff.com
External links
|