Harper College will be closed on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.
For Reverend Clyde Brooks, education has always represented resilience, dignity and
the power to think independently.
Growing up during segregation in a small Illinois town, Rev. Brooks experienced discrimination in schools, restaurants, movie theaters and community organizations. He never had a teacher of color, and his textbooks excluded the contributions of African Americans. Without role models who reflected his experiences, he developed what he calls “contained anger”—determination directed toward overcoming injustice.
His commitment to equality deepened through the civil rights movement. He was elected to the Board of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the only organization led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his lifetime. The experience strengthened his belief in creating change through education, advocacy and leadership.
Today, Rev. Brooks continues that work as Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Commission on Diversity & Human Relations, which advances equity, human relations and opportunity. His career has included leadership roles in equal employment compliance, corrections, law enforcement, higher education and statewide human rights commissions.
As a sociology instructor at Harper College in the early 1980s, he encouraged students to think critically, challenge assumptions and analyze the world around them.
Through the Rev. Clyde H. Brooks Scholarship, Rev. Brooks and the Illinois Commission on Diversity & Human Relations support students committed to social justice and civil rights.
“We want to light a fire and be an example for others,” he says.
His hope is that scholarship recipients will not only succeed, but lead—carrying forward a legacy of perseverance, purpose and meaningful change.