Board Member
Brief info
Many people struggle to determine their calling in life, laboriously trying different things like a piece of clothing, looking to find what fits. But there are others that emerge fully formed, in full command of their life, their identity, and their future. Hopeton Brown fits firmly in the latter category. His ongoing community activities not only generate an encouraging and respectful feeling but have had an inspirational and motivational effect on the youths.
Mr. Brown, a chemical engineer graduate from Drexel University, came to Philadelphia from Jamaica in 1977 and ran smack into a wall of prejudice at West Philadelphia High School. He opened their eyes to reality. In a big step to fight ignorance with the truth, he formed the West Indian Club, a student-run organization aimed at educating fellow students in the hopes of
erasing traditional stereotypes.
Hopeton Brown’s involvement within the Caribbean community is far-reaching. In the early 80s, as Program Director for WKDU, Drexel University student-run radio, he implemented reggae programming and organized the Annual Memorial Day Reggae Marathon. In 1990, he coordinated an Anti-Drug Mini-Summit sponsored in part by the International Cricket Club of Philadelphia. Working in tandem with the Center for Literacy, he successfully established an
Adult Literacy Program in Southwest Philadelphia.
In 2012, he became the host of a weekly reggae show, “Socially Conscious Reggae Music” on CRSRadio.com. Mr. Brown continues to participate and support many community organizations. He is a member of the Read Across Jamaica Foundation, a non-profit organization, whose mission is to introduce creative and interactive methods of reading that encourage children to enjoy literature.
In his early years, he attended Kingston College High School in Jamaica. He finished his high school education at West Philadelphia High School in 1979 where he graduated class valedictorian. Brown worked as a math teacher for the School District of Philadelphia for 3 years. In 1988 he moved on to the Department of Defense where he gained over 32 years of progressive experience in the safety and environmental arena.
Hopeton Brown remains relentless in his effort to erase traditional stereotypes on Jamaicans and other West Indian-Americans in Philadelphia. He currently serves as the Chairman for the Andrew Dixon Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation established to develop self-esteem and motivate youth through the eyes of baseball.
