Telling Your Story S1E4: Leroy Brooks
“I'm a very secure man.”
The boardroom for the Lowndes County Supervisors has been the scene of more than one showdown between Leroy Brooks, Supervisor for District 5, and outgoing Supervisor Harry Sanders. Early on Brooks said Sanders told him, “You know, I came up here to put you in your place.”
Even after all these years of facing off against Sanders, Brooks said he remained conflicted.
“I don’t dislike him.” Brooks called Sanders “smart,” but he said he had “seemingly racial inclinations.”
There was a steadiness to Leroy Brooks as he reflected on a life and career well-lived. It was easy to see why people in the community came to him for advice and counsel. He seemed unfaltering in his dedication to Lowndes County and unshaken in a mission he said he had had for decades. To be an agent for change.
Brooks grew up along Motley Road. He painted a visual picture of the blacktop ending just past the white property owner’s house, the road running the rest of the way in dust and gravel. He lived there with his parents, a brother, and four sisters. He remembered roaming the woods, hunting rabbits, picking cotton planting soybeans, and baling hay.
But it was school at Motley that touched a lifelong passion for learning. Brooks said his friends still kid him about being so serious. He was, he said, serious about education. He traveled the world through hand-me-down National Geographic magazines. Teachers encouraged him. And so did his family.
His path led him to Jr. ROTC, the Air Force, and college. He traveled the world before coming home to Lowndes County. It was a path that lent perspective.
Brooks said some people told him he talked about race too much. But he said, “I think people hate to talk about race because they are afraid sometimes how they feel may emerge. And I think we all have to acknowledge that we have these cultural differences that, you know, we grew up in different times, different settings that helped shape our mind. I think the secret to it is individually, you know, you’ve got to decide, you know, people meet each other and they decide, you know, how they want to interact. And even if you have some of these tendencies, you learn to keep them in perspective that we are different for a lot of reasons.”
Brooks was ready to listen to people who wanted to serve the community on boards and as volunteers. He said he had backed some candidates and not others. It came down to a value system he said.
He had spent 40 years as a supervisor, standing up for his community and the work he valued.
“And the other thing that I always value, and I try to be very humble about it, I’ve always valued my sense of learning. I think the more that you learn and the more that you understand, the more secure you are, the better you’re going to be. I’m a very secure man,” Brooks said.
The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors meets on the first Monday of each month, with additional meetings during the month. For the board agenda and minutes, you can log onto www.lowndescountyms.com.
Watch the full interview here: www.wcbi.com/telling-your-story-leroy-brooks
