By: Regina Wilson and Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media
Willie Charles Brown, Sr., the longtime publisher of Inglewood Today, passed away on June 25 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was 81.
For more than three decades, Brown used his platform as a journalist and publisher to uplift Inglewood residents and document the evolution of one of South Los Angeles’s most dynamic Black communities. On July 19, his life and legacy were honored by family, friends, and civic leaders at a service held at Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Born on February 17, 1944, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Brown was raised in the Desire neighborhood of the Upper Ninth Ward. He excelled as a student-athlete at G.W. Carver High School before relocating to California, eventually making Inglewood his home.
In 1993, a year after the Los Angeles uprising, Brown founded Inglewood Today to give residents a voice and counter narratives of the community too often distorted in mainstream media. The paper soon became a trusted source of local news, community commentary, and political accountability.
“Willie and Inglewood Today were an institution,” said Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts. “There was no paper more informative or reliable. He was more than a publisher — he was an anchor in the community.”
Brown’s influence extended beyond the newsroom. He was a mentor, civic partner, and connector. He backed emerging leaders and elevated community concerns before they made it into city council agendas or campaign platforms.
Councilmember Gloria Gray, a longtime friend and early supporter, read a city proclamation honoring Brown’s impact on local media and public life. “Through his unwavering commitment to journalism,” she said, “Mr. Brown informed the public, empowered the voiceless, and ensured our stories were told.”
Hardy Brown Sr., founding president of California Black Media, credited Brown as a foundational voice in the network’s formation. “He came to every meeting,” Hardy recalled. “He believed in the vision of creating a statewide Black press infrastructure.”
For Kenneth Miller, publisher of the South Bay Black Journal and former editor at Inglewood Today, Brown was both mentor and friend. “Willie trusted me with his baby,” Miller said. “That paper was his heart. I will do whatever I’m asked to keep his legacy alive.”
As print media faced economic headwinds, Brown stayed committed to Inglewood Today. During the pandemic, Brown worked to secure advertising from the Rams, Chargers, and Clippers to keep the publication alive.
Outside the newsroom, Brown’s favorite space was the golf course. His golfing circle became a second family, one that shared stories at his memorial about his wit, generosity, and optimism. Friends recalled “Willie-isms” like “shankopotamus” for wayward shots, or “Saddam Hussein” when a player bounced from sand trap to sand trap.
“I played with Willie twice a week for 14 years,” one friend said during the memorial. “He was a comic, a philosopher, and one hell of a sand trap escape artist.”
Ken Dower, another friend and neighbor, said Brown could “make everyone feel like a million bucks — whether you were a city official or a busboy.”
Speakers at his Celebration of Life, held July 18 at the CenterPointe Club in Playa Vista, remembered Brown as principled and progressive. He championed women’s rights, spoke out against injustice, and believed Black-owned media should be unapologetically community-centered.
Details about Brown’s family remain private, but what is public is his enormous contribution to journalism, civic life, and Black media – contributions that continue to resonate today.
In the words of his longtime friend James Black: “When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure. Willie Brown was a treasure.”
