WIN Annual Reports July 2017 Midyear Report | Page 11

TOP LEADER PROFILE NATHAN BROWN
Nathan Brown grew up in a public housing complex in
Northwest DC called Temple Courts. As a youth, he watched as
the city and its management cared less and less about Temple
Courts, allowing trash to pile up and security go lax. When his
close friend was killed in part due to the lack of security on the
property, there was no camera footage and no conviction. The
absence of justice hit Nathan hard and changed the way he
viewed the world.
Organizing work is something that runs in Nathan’s family. His
mother organized with WIN when Nathan was a child and the
campaign around Temple Courts first began. When Nathan
saw the opportunity to work with WIN on an issue that directly
affected him and his community, he immediately jumped in and
became a leader in the neighborhood organizing.
As someone who has always enjoyed speaking and performing,
Nathan saw organizing as his opportunity to do more for himself
and for his children. WIN helped Nathan to translate his love for
speaking into something that harnessed community power to
make a real difference.
“I am passionate about organizing to create a more just
DC for me and my family. This is a calling for me and an
opportunity to carry on the work my mother started”.
Nathan has helped lead groups in door knocking within his neighborhood and run house meetings
to identify other leaders and other local issues. He then helped organize, plan, and execute a NW1
community action with Councilmember Charles Allen. Over 250 people attended the action. While
standing at the front of the sanctuary, Nathan talked about how the demolished Temple Courts
passed through four city administrations. He then turned and asked Councilmember Allen, “What
will you do for this community? How will you be different?” Nathan described that moment as being
worth more than any amount of money because he was not just working for himself, but alongside
everyone in his community.
Nathan has learned what it means to be a leader -- not someone who has a title or a PhD but a
person who does the hard work of relating to people and building a following. Nathan hopes that
his work will move people from settling for what they are given, to standing up and demanding what
they deserve. He wants to teach his community members that organizing i