Brooks

Rev. George Brooks was a virtual unknown until newspapers and bloggers across the country published the prickly contents of his flyer. “Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen and the Jews HATE Jesus,” the headline read in bold letters. The initial reaction was a media firestorm that provided Brooks with the platform he sought.

Brooks, who lives in Murfreesboro, Tenn., is bent on convincing African-American voters in the ninth congressional district that U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen can’t represent them in Congress.

But who is Brooks? And what does a preacher who lives more than 200 miles away have to do with Memphis politics?

“I am trying to promote someone who’s black for the ninth district,” said Brooks, a journalist, community activist and ordained minister. “In my ministry, I go all over the country where there is a problem with black people.”

The 69-year-old preacher said his mission began after he was called into the ministry in Oakland, Calif. He said he was silent for years until he yielded to a quiet voice in 2002 that said, “Who will speak for me?”

Nowadays, Brooks, who doesn’t pastor a church, said he speaks the truth. “I don’t believe in tithes and that preachers should be paid to preach,” he said.

The self-declared truth-seeker said he follows the “Supreme Power of the Universe” whose name is “TRUTH.” “I am the ‘Conscious of the People’ in general, and of black people in particular,” he said. “For only through truth can one become absolutely free.”

The beginning

Brooks was born in Rockwood, Tenn., and grew up in Clarksville, Tenn. His father, George Brooks Sr., lived in Eads, Tenn., and graduated from Manassas High School. His father was also a high school principal In Clarksville.

A “life-long student of black history and religions of the world,” Brooks received a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University. He also attended Ohio State University, Los Angeles City College, Eubanks Conservatory of Music, and the New York Institute of Photography.

He spent 30 years in California and a total of 14 years in New York, Ohio, Illinois and Washington, D.C. He also lived in Memphis for a while and used to write several columns for the Tri-State Defender.

He has several cousins here. One of them is the pastor of Friendly Missionary Baptist Church on Keel Ave. He also mentioned that an ancestor, Joseph “Free Joe” Harris, who was a slave in Virginia who moved to Eads as a freedman, “was my grandfather five generations removed.”

Still, Brooks lived under the radar until his flyer blasted him into an orbit of controversy.

Last week, he circulated another flyer with a similar headline and inflammatory message. In part, it read: “... If this district was predominantly Jewish, Steve Cohen and the Jewish voters would NOT elect a Black to this office.”

‘This is bizarre’

Rep. Cohen is dumfounded.

“I don’t know where this man is coming from. This is bizarre. It’s just ridiculous,” he said. “I didn’t think things would be this stark” before the campaign begins.

Brooks said he doesn’t dislike Cohen, but stressed the importance of electing an African-American to Congress.

“I’m not against Steve Cohen,” he said, “but we need a black person to speak for black people.”

The District 9 seat became a bone of contention after Harold Ford Jr., who had served for a decade following the multi-term service of his father, vacated the seat for a Senate bid. After Cohen filed to run in 2006, he was criticized for joining an already crowded field.

A total of 14 candidates – 11 African Americans and three whites – waged a fierce battle during the Democratic and Republican primaries. Cohen emerged as the first candidate who was not African American to win the House seat in more than 30 years.

Last year while speaking before the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association about his support for federal hate crimes legislation, Cohen was pelted with a verbal assault.

“He’s not black and he can’t represent me, that’s just the bottom line,” said Rev. Robert Poindexter of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. Another minister referred to Cohen as a “white boy.”

Rev. George Matthews Jr., Brooks’ cousin, was at that meeting. “They mistreated the man,” he said. Matthews was also at a recent ministerial meeting when the group discussed Brooks’ flyer.

“I think he (Brooks) shouldn’t have hit Steve Cohen the way he did. He’s a nice, Jewish guy,” said Matthews, 75, pastor of Friendly Missionary Baptist Church in North Memphis.

“I didn’t like what he said about Steve and what he said about the Jews. Steve is Jewish; that’s his belief. I’m Baptist; that’s my belief. We should accept everybody’s religion. Division brings about confusion. God is sick of racism.”

Another cousin, who said he was too ashamed of Brooks to go on record, said Brooks has gone too far. That was the sentiment of another family member, who asked not to be identified, but said she was disgusted.

‘I expected this’

Brooks vowed to circulate more of his flyers.

“Anytime you attack the Jews, you’re going to get this attention,” Brooks said. “I expected this. And I’ll continue to spread the truth. I know that the Jews hate Jesus. They don’t consider Jesus as the Messiah.”

The flyers were circulated to get black Christians to the polls. Cohen’s name was added for special effect, said Brooks.

Cohen said the Jews have been the objects of hate since the Holocaust. “Jewish people have been concerned about people who express bigotry and hatred. And Jewish people don’t hate Jesus,” he said.

Dr. Randolph Meade Walker, pastor of Castalia Baptist Church, said Brooks has a warped view of Jewish history.

“It wasn’t the Jews that put Jesus to death; it was the religious leaders,” Walker said. “We can’t blame the Jews for what a few did. If Jesus hadn’t died, there would be no remission of sin.”

Walker said Brooks initial flyer was “very irresponsible.” He was not aware of the second.

“I can’t imagine his motives. I can’t see the purpose he’s serving,” Walker said. “From my perspective, Steve Cohen is doing a good job. He’s not anti-church and he’s not anti-black.

“If somebody is right on the position, I don’t care what color they are. I’m not going to turn around and be a reverse bigot. We wouldn’t want a group of white ministers to get together and oppose (Barack) Obama.”

Dr. LaSimba L. Gray, one of Cohen’s staunchest critics, is advocating for an African American to represent the district. The pastor of New Sardis Missionary Baptist Church said he didn’t want to be mentioned in the same context as Brooks.

“My ministry has always been for the equalization and representation of African-American people,” he said. “When you fight to get representation, it’s not the same as fighting to give up representation.”

Gray is supporting a second run by labor lawyer Nikki Tinker, who lost to Cohen by 4,459 votes in last year’s Democratic primary. Brooks said he’s supporting Tinker as well, or any African-American candidate capable of representing the district.

“It’s up to the black leadership in Memphis,” said Brooks. “I’m hoping they would come together and support one candidate. I don’t want to interfere and tell them which (black) candidate to support.”

Tinker said she doesn’t know Brooks and doesn’t subscribe to his beliefs. “I won’t stand for or support the attacks on the Jewish faith or any other faith for that matter,” she said.