NEW YORK, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Span Browne, economist,
philanthropist, foreign aid advisor, anti-Vietnam War activist, professor,
writer and founder of three black self-help organizations, died of heart
failure in Rockland County, NY on August 5, 2004. He was 79 and lived in
Teaneck, New Jersey.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040806/NYF087 )
Through his writings, speeches and activism, Browne helped shape the
discourse on black America in the 1960s and 1970s, and on the United States'
involvement in the Vietnam War. He focused on economics and other topics as
they relate to African Americans, including human development, communications,
foreign policy, rural development and political empowerment. From the early
1960s, before many Americans had heard of Vietnam, he was committed to
influencing United States policy in that country, which he said was taking an
erroneous path in supporting Vietnam's President Diem.
Browne held positions with the U.S. Agency for International Development
in Cambodia from 1955 to 1958, and in Vietnam from 1958 to 1961. He met his
future wife, Huoi Nguyen, while living in Cambodia. Upon his return to the
U.S., he met with peace organizations, political groups, labor unions and
churches, and published letters and articles in The New York Times and other
outlets to highlight what he thought was a dangerous course in Southeast Asia.
His expertise was valued by these organizations, whose efforts are largely
acknowledged as the catalyst for the anti-Vietnam War movement. He was
especially opposed to African Americans going to combat against other people
of color.
By the late 1960s Browne shifted his focus to the economic development of
African Americans, founding three national black self-help organizations: The
Black Economic Research Center (1969), a center of applied research that
garnered the services of black economists for black economic development
projects, and published a journal called "The Review of Black Political
Economy"; the Emergency Land Fund (1971), a resource dedicated to reversing
the decline in black land ownership in the South; and The Twenty-First Century
Foundation (1971), an endowed, public foundation that advances strategic black
philanthropy.
In 1980, the United States Treasury Department appointed Browne the first
U.S. Executive Director of the African Development Bank in Abidjan, Ivory
Coast, an assignment he held until 1982. From 1982 to 1985, he served as
Senior Research Fellow of African Studies at Howard University. From 1986 to
1991 he was Staff Director of the Subcommittee on International Development
Institutions of the House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs,
where he worked on issues related to the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund and Third World debt, among others. After semi-retirement in
1993, Browne became an economic consultant for Washington, D.C.-based
organizations, several dealing with Africa.
Browne served as Jesse Jackson's advisor on economic policy during his
1984 campaign for the presidency; and made a presentation on U.S.-Africa
policy at the Clinton/Gore Economic Summit in Little Rock, Arkansas shortly
after the 1992 presidential election.
Browne was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 17, 1924 to William H. and
Julia Browne. He had two older siblings, William and Wendelle. Browne was
awarded a BA with honors in economics from the University of Illinois in 1944.
In 1947 he was awarded an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago,
becoming one of the first black people in U.S. history to earn an MBA. He
continued his studies at the London School of Economics, and later completed
all course work toward his doctorate at the City University of New York.
Browne is survived by his wife Huoi Nguyen; children Hoa, Mai, Alexi and
Marshall; grandson Boaz Cohen; son-in-law Binyamin Cohen; sister Wendelle
Browne of Chicago; niece Iqua Kristine Colson, her husband Stephen, and sons
Issa and Mikel; nephew William H. Browne, his wife Sherry, and son William;
cousin Mary Pierce and her son Paul Pierce, among other family members, as
well as many friends and colleagues who considered him a mentor, inspiration
and role model.
A memorial service will be held in September. Please contact The
Twenty-First Century Foundation at 212-662-3700 or info@21cf.org for more
information. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made
to the Robert S. Browne Family Fund at The Twenty-First Century Foundation.
SOURCE The Twenty-First Century Foundation
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.21cf.org
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040806/NYF087 AP
PhotoExpress Network: PRN22 PRN Photo Desk,
photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
The Twenty-First Century Foundation,
+1-212-662-3700, or info@21cf.org
|
