“The first time I protested, I was eight years old. My mother had me outside this old historical structure called the George Brown House, and my placard read: 'Honk your horn if you want to save this house.' Every day, after school, I would be out there protesting and we did save that house,” she chuckled.
The George Brown House was the centre of controversy in Trinidad and Tobago when plans were made for its demolition in 1985 to make way for a new office complex. This led to the 'George Brown Uprising', and, as a result of public outcry, the house was saved and subsequently restored.
For Brown, the campaign sparked a passion, which influenced her to dedicate her career to advocacy and assisting the disenfranchised. She also indicated that her ambition was further cemented at age 15 when her community in St Ann, Trinidad and Tobago, was flooded, resulting in the death of a few people.
“I remember spending weeks teaching community members about the dangers of living on the embankment of rivers. I was studying geography at the CXC level, and wanted to educate them about flood-prone areas. That was where my independent volunteerism started,” the former general manager of JN Foundation related.
