SAN FRANCISCO — Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, a towering figure in the civil rights movement and longtime pastor of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, will receive the 2026 Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the NAACP.

The award recognizes individuals of African descent whose achievements have made a significant impact on American life. Since 1915, the medal has been presented to some of the nation’s most influential leaders, including Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, Jesse Jackson Sr., and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

For Brown, the recognition carries personal meaning.

“I’m deeply moved by this honor,” Brown said in a statement. “It has an even deeper personal meaning to me as it was awarded some 60 years ago to my friend and mentor Medgar Evers, who gave his life for the cause of civil rights in our nation.”

Brown’s journey into the movement began long before he became one of San Francisco’s most recognizable faith leaders. Growing up in Mississippi, he witnessed the effects of racism firsthand. A relative was beaten by police during the Jim Crow era, suffering trauma that lasted the rest of his life. Brown has often said those experiences shaped his understanding of injustice and fueled his commitment to social change.

The murder of Emmett Till in 1955 left a lasting impression on the young Brown. Around that same time, he received advice from civil rights leader Medgar Evers that would stay with him for decades.

“Don’t just be angry, upset or disturbed,” Evers told him. “Be smart and fight back.”

Brown took the message to heart. At just 14 years old, he organized the first NAACP Youth Council in his Mississippi hometown, joining a generation of young activists determined to challenge segregation and racial discrimination.

A graduate of Morehouse College, Brown was among a small group of students who attended the only college course ever taught by Martin Luther King Jr.. He later helped organize young people traveling from Atlanta to the historic March on Washington.

Over the next six decades, Brown became a fixture in the struggle for civil rights, serving on the NAACP’s national board, leading the organization’s San Francisco branch, and advocating for racial justice, voting rights, education and economic opportunity.

His work in San Francisco has been equally influential. For decades, Brown led Third Baptist Church, the oldest Black congregation west of the Mississippi River, turning it into a center for faith, activism and community engagement.

NAACP officials said the award honors Brown’s lifetime commitment to equality, justice and human dignity.

The Spingarn Medal will be presented in July, adding Brown’s name to a list that includes some of the most consequential figures in American history.

At 84, Brown remains active in public life, still preaching, organizing and speaking out on issues of justice.

The medal recognizes a lifetime of work. Brown would likely say the work isn’t finished.