Harold K.
Brown, an American civil rights leader, died on May 6, 2026. He was 92.
Brown worked in San Diego, California, where he graduated from San Diego State University in 1959 and became the first African American to hold administrative rank at the university. He founded chapters of the Congress for Racial Equality and was repeatedly arrested during protests against racial discrimination. In 2011, San Diego State inaugurated the Harold K. Brown Civil Rights and African American Experience Collection, drawing on thousands of photographs, documents and oral histories, many from Brown’s personal collection.
Harold Kenneth Brown (May 6, 1934 – May 6, 2026) was an American civil rights leader in San Diego, California. He graduated from San Diego State University (SDSU) in 1959 and became the first African American to hold administrative rank at the university. He founded chapters of the Congress for Racial Equality and was arrested repeatedly for protesting against racial discrimination. In 2011, SDSU inaugurated the “Harold K. Brown Civil Rights and African American Experience Collection” – a historical collection from the civil rights movement, consisting of thousands of photographs, documents and oral accounts, many from Brown’s personal collection. Brown died on May 6, 2026, at the age of 92.