February 28, 2025

Jamarr Brown’s (NLC Atlanta 2011) leadership journey is a testament to the transformative power of advocacy and community mobilization. From his early beginnings as a 15-year-old confronting the challenges of healthcare inequity, to becoming the first African American Executive Director of the Texas State Democratic Party, Jamarr has continuously championed justice and equity. Now, as the Executive Director of Color Of Change’s Political Action Committee (PAC), he leads the charge in holding elected officials accountable and advancing systemic change.

In this installment of Black History, Black Future, Jamarr shares how his experiences shaped his vision for Black leadership and his commitment to building a more just and equitable future. His story illustrates the power of legacy and the impact of paving the way for generations to come.

Can you share your leadership journey? What inspired you to step into this work?

My journey started when I was in high school. My first advocacy experience came when I was 15 years old and my mom was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. We were a middle class family and my parents made ends meet, but I remember my mom going to the doctor and screaming in the car because her bill was so high. Seeing the stress of my parents trying to figure out how they were going to be able to afford to pay everything drove me to go online, find the information for the governor at the time, Fritz Hollings, and write to his office. When he wrote me back and told me he was going to look out for my mom, I started to experience the power of advocacy.

From there, I went on to work on my first campaign, when my grandmother ran for school board. Then, in college, I became the president of my NAACP chapter, became president of the Student Senate, interned for both for the Congressional Black Caucus and the Democratic National Committee, and worked on campaigns in my local community. I ran a city council race in my senior year of college, and we won that race by seven votes. I went into college desiring to be a lawyer, but after these experiences I realized politics was my calling. Even after taking a short break from politics after college, I couldn’t stay away too long!

Eventually, I worked my way through the ranks at several progressive organizations and campaigns including Progressive Majority, Planned Parenthood, re:Power, and campaigns for Wendy Davis and Tom Steyer, doing everything from helping state coalitions recruit progressive candidates for local office, to organizing for reproductive justice, to training people around the country about campaigns and community organizing. Eventually, I made my way to the Texas State Democratic Party, where I became the first African American to lead a state party in Texas and the first Black Executive Director of the state Democratic Party. That role put me into a different level of leadership, overseeing everything from fundraising to engaging with the press to engaging with grassroots activists and building infrastructure. We added a voter protection wing, flipped several legislative seats that moved us closer to a majority, won several county seats, and sent two people of color to Congress, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Now, I am the Executive Director for Color Of Change’s Political Action Committee (PAC), leading our work around ensuring that we’re building justice in communities and holding elected officials accountable. We’ve focused heavily on prosecutors, who are the first seat of justice for any person who is having to experience the criminal justice system. It’s important that we hold prosecutors accountable to how they charge and treat individuals, whether that be looking at sentencing recommendations or diversion programs.

Outside of my professional leadership journey, I’ve been able to serve on various boards for organizations. In Austin, I was a board chair for a New Leaders Council and served on the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce board. Now, I’m the board chair of an organization called Provide Inc.
Throughout my journey, I’ve been able to do a lot of things that move people to action in a meaningful way, achieving real results that people can see and feel in their own lives and in their community. And though I never saw myself getting into politics, I’ve learned that politics can be a means to saving and protecting lives while building the future that we want and we deserve.

---

What does Black leadership mean to you in today’s social and political landscape?

What’s clear for me about Black leadership is that we’re going to have to show up in a new and a different way. Right now, there is a clear whitewashing happening in the country. We also see a very clear roll back of civil rights so that certain people can have unilateral control, not just of the government, but of all of our institutions. We’re seeing this rollback of all the work that people like my grandmother and my great grandparents did to make sure that Black people can do things like go to college, be treated fairly in the workplace, and access health care.

We’re going to have to employ different tactics that require us to dig deeper and do more civic engagement and organizing work on the local level, not just against harmful federal government policies, but also to mitigate harm to Black communities. It’s going to take Black leaders to make this happen, alongside the community. We are creative, we’re resilient, and when black people win, we all win. Black leaders must step up and show up in the midst of these very turbulent political times.

---

How can young leaders—especially those from historically marginalized communities—use their voices to create impact?

There are four main ways that young leaders can use their voices to create impact. First, make sure that you show up, and make sure you’re showing up in spaces beyond your day-to-day. It’s not just about showing up in the classroom or showing up at work in the workplace, it’s also about making your presence felt within broader institutions. You can learn a lot about civic engagement by going to the local school board, city council or county commission. A lot of times when we think about long term change, we think about national issues on the largest scale, but people underestimate the power in these local spaces to comment, ask questions, and be seen and heard.

Second, it’s important to make sure that you’re building relationships with people who are like-minded. You can find that potentially on your college campus, looking for groups that are tailored toward Black communities or other historically marginalized groups. Third, look at internships and fellowships to get the practical experience around what it means to organize and to advocate. Lastly, understand that the currency of politics is your relationships. The relationships that you can build with people by meeting, sharing, and building community are vitally important to creating impact.

What are some lessons you’ve learned about mobilizing communities and inspiring change?

What I’ve learned, particularly about mobilizing communities, is at the end of the day, the strategy has to center that community. You can’t come into the community and tell them what to do. I can come and meet them where they are and offer strategies and ideas, but the community has to be in ownership of the change they want. Additionally, something we in the movement need to do a better job with is storytelling and narrative. I’ve learned that we shape policy by including the stories and lived experiences of people who are most impacted.

For example, if we are talking about reforming a transit system in a city, how are we lifting up the voices of those who are historically marginalized to talk about the need for that transit? By connecting with the community directly, we may learn that transit access doesn’t just mean convenience, it’s really the lifeline for getting to school, getting a job, going to the doctor, and just being able to have a good quality of life. It’s really important that we cultivate the voices of historically marginalized communities through storytelling and narrative strategy.

How did your experience with New Leaders Council shape your leadership and career path?

NLC was essential to shaping my career path. I trained other chapters and new fellows that came behind me, and served as the board chair for the New Leaders Austin chapter, which I helped create. For me, NLC is like an incubator. It allows you to come in at wherever you are in your leadership journey and grow. I walked away really learning how to be a leader of an organization.

Are there any specific lessons or moments from NLC that still influence your work today?

At my very first NLC session almost 15 years ago, I learned the principle that you hold your values to be true. For me, those values are respect, dignity, integrity and compassion, and I learned that it’s my responsibility to embody those values at all times. The NLC network has kept me accountable to those values and to how I show up in various spaces.

Jamarr’s journey is a powerful reminder that leadership is born from resilience, purpose, and a commitment to community. Through his impactful roles, from grassroots organizing to national leadership, he has not only shaped policy but also inspired a generation of changemakers.

His experiences with New Leaders Council laid the foundation for his values-driven leadership, proving that integrity, dignity, and compassion are essential for meaningful change. As he continues to pave the way for Black leaders and advocate for justice, Jamarr’s legacy is one of courage, vision, and transformative impact, ensuring a future where communities are empowered and equity prevails.