From H. Rap Brown to Jamil Al-Amin

Born Hubert Gerold Brown in Baton Rouge in 1943, H. Rap Brown rose to

prominence during the civil rights era as a sharp, uncompromising voice against racial oppression.

As a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, he challenged segregation and rejected the

idea that Black communities must remain defenseless in the face of violence. His outspoken stance

made him a target of intense FBI surveillance under COINTELPRO. Arrests, pressure,

and eventual imprisonment followed. It was in prison that Brown experienced a profound turning

point. There, he embraced Islam, taking the name Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin.

What had once been outward rebellion transformed into inward discipline. Islam gave structure