Jim Browns Background and Contributions to the Society - Essay Example

Jim Brown There are millions of individuals in the world, however only some are able to leave a mark onthe world and influence the people around them. Jim Brown is one of such individuals who continue to play a role for the welfare and betterment of the people, rather than being the only one to benefit from his fame and fortune. His name is counted amongst the most influential African Americans in football and humanitarianism. 1. Background Jim Brown is a former American African football player, who was born in 1936. He was a remarkable player with many acknowledgements and awards to his credit. He played from the Cleveland Brown’s side from 1957 to 1965. He showed excellent skills and expertise in the game in his high school and university life that earned him more opportunities to get proper training and move ahead to playing for NFL. He is considered to be among the greatest running back players of all times. Due to his success in sports, he received All-American honors in football and lacrosse. His name has appeared in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well as US Lacrosse National Hall of Fame (Jim Brown Biography). An amazing thing about this player is that he retired at the age of 30 when he was at the peak of his career, yet he has been able to collect numerous awards and recognitions for his outstanding game. He has even set multiple records as a running back player for his team. 2. Life after Football After his retirement, he joined the film industry to pursue his career as an actor. He always believed in equal rights for all humans, irrespective of their race, religion or origin and this attitude even prevailed in the film industry. Due to this positive attitude towards equality, he got the opportunity to act in numerous films and performed the kind of work that had not been done by an African American actor before. He also directed and produced films in Hollywood. 3. Contributions to the Society Jim Brown has been a social activist and a humanitarian, who has made numerous contributions for the betterment of the societies. He was one of the few famous people of his times who realized the powers that they had- fame and fortune. He realized that he could use these powers for many valuable causes. One of his first endeavors was to help the African Americans who were struggling to start their own businesses to earn their livelihood (Simmonds). This endeavor was termed as Black Economic Union and the main aim of this effort was to make the African Americans self-reliant and to earn them a respectable position in the society. The law enforcement agencies took this as a threat for the peace and security of the region since Jim Brown and his peers were perceived to aim for something harmful, rather than meaningful. The suspicion earned Jim Brown a place in the watch list of the FBI, but times have shown the world that Jim Brown meant nothing but good for the people. In 1966, Jim Brown and his associates got a major grant of over $ 1 Million from the Ford Foundation Grant (Jim Brown - NFL's Greatest) for the social cause. It has been recorded that over 400 African American benefitted from the monetary support and technical guidance provided by the respective establishment. In 1980, the humanitarian joined hands with an organization Vital Issues Project to help the ex-convicts (individuals who had completed their sentence in jails and prisons) (Brown). Such people require guidance and opportunities to earn their livelihood and become useful members of the society. Jim Brown’s efforts and reputation as a social reformer earned that company a respectable position in the market, due to which they were able to help greater number of such individuals to get back to their lives. The dedication of Jim Brown towards the cause of getting the ex-convicts settled in life, can be analyzed by the fact that 95% of the jobs at Amer-I-Can Foundation (Jim Brown’s non-profit organization) have been given to them (Jim Brown - NFL's Greatest). Another major step that was initiated from the social reformer was the establishment of a non-profit organization, Amer-I-Can Foundation for Social Change. He founded this organization in 1988 with the aim to rejuvenate the failing and struggling individuals and transform them into productive member of the societies (The Amer-I-Can Program). It can be considered as an organization that teaches the skills of life management. The initial investments and ventures were started with Jim Brown’s own money. Along with the monetary support, he gave the establishment his time and energy to make a difference in the lives of others. The organization has spread across 8 states and is present in numerous cities around US. According to Simmonds, the organization has spread its services across the border to UK and Belize. Ever since the establishment of the organization, over 500,000 students have finished the training programs at Amer-I-Can Foundation. Jim Brown stated that the Amer-I-Can curriculum teaches a way of life that can lead any individual to success. The curriculum has been taught to individuals of all ages since the organization believes that it is never too late to improve one’s way of life. Their aim is to change the attitude of individuals from pessimistic to optimistic i.e. from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’. The organization provides help to people irrespective of their race, religion, ethnicity and socio-economic status (Simmonds). Jim Brown and his organization aim for societies which are free from hostilities and violence. It has been witnessed that the organization has participated in developing cease fire between rival gangs to maintain the peace in the communities. Such an incident was witnessed in Los Angeles, where two rival gangs were motivated to develop cease fire between each other. Jim Brown even invited the gangs’ representatives at his own residence to solve the matter between them. These kinds of corrective actions identify the personality traits of Jim Brown and the helping nature that he has always possessed. The humanitarian has also worked with different types of organizations and bodies to work towards the attainment of better lives for struggling individuals; such organizations include social workers in different communities, law enforcement agencies and parole departments (Simmonds). 4. Recognitions and Awards The efforts of Jim Brown and his organizations have been acknowledged for their social services at number of occasions. In 2008, the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland and The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) in Washington honored Jim Brown for his commendable social services through his Amer-I-Can Foundation (Jim Brown's The Amer-I-Can Foundation Saluted for Excellence). The organization was applauded for its contributions towards public education and helping small investors launch their businesses. The organization was even awarded with the title of “2008 Institutional Supreme Excellence Award recipient” for its services for the past 20 years. The contributions of Jim Brown have been recognized by a diverse range of communities. The Muslim Journal honored Jim Brown for his continued commitment towards social services in different communities and his dedication to help the ex-convicts return to life in a productive manner (Rahman). In 2010, Jim Brown received the Blanton Collier Award; this award has been named after one of the most recognized running back coaches in Cleveland. It was presented by the Kentucky division of NFL Alumni. The award is given to outstanding players who excel in the field of sports, as well as utilize their image for the welfare of humans (Story). References Brown, Rodney., Remembering Jim Brown: The Social Activist, CNY Vision, n.d., Web. 13 April, 2011. “Jim Brown - NFL's Greatest”, Movie Vehicles.com, 2001, Web. 12 April, 2011. “Jim Brown's The Amer-I-Can Foundation Saluted For Excellence”, BlackPR.com, 2008, Web. 12 April, 2011. “Jim Brown Biography”, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010, Web. 13 April, 2011. Rahman, Sarah. “Muslim Journal honors Bill Cosby, Jim Brown and Hudson County figures at dinner in Jersey City”, The New Jersey Journal 20 December, 2009. Simmonds, Yussuf., Legends – Jim Brown, Sentinel Los Angeles, 2009, Web. 13 April 2011. Story, Mark., “Jim Brown to receive Collier award”, Lexinton Herald Leader, 14 May, 2010. “The Amer-I-Can Program”, Amer-I-Can Foundation, n.d., Web. 12 April, 2011. Read More