Michael Brown once told his father the "world is going to know my name," words Michael Brown Sr. still takes to heart.
Friday marks 10 years since the 18-year-old was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri , turning the St. Louis suburb into the focal point of the national reckoning with the historically tense relationship between U.S. law enforcement and Black people.
The elder Brown now devotes his time to the Michael Brown Sr. Chosen for Change Organization, a foundation that helps fathers, mothers and children come to grips with tragedy in their lives. It's a legacy he feels obligated to pass on under the name he shares with his son.
"He was going to shake the world," Brown said of his son. "So, I guess that's what we're doing. He's still doing the work from the grave."
Brown's death catalyzed massive change in Ferguson. In 2014, every city leader was white in the majority-Black city. Today, the mayor, police chief, city attorney and other leaders are Black. The mostly-white police force of a decade ago now has more officers that are Black than white.
