Patricia "Trish" Brown (born October 11, 1963) is a national education advocate, public relations practitioner, journalist, and entrepreneur.
Brown served as the first openly lesbian school board president in the State of Michigan from 1996 to 1997 at the Wayne-Westland Community Schools. As the news editor at Associated Newspapers, Brown helped win the Excellence in Journalism award from the University Press of Michigan in 1990 and 1991. In October 2012, Brown was awarded the Western Wayne NAACP "Great Expectations" award for her work on behalf of minorities. Brown worked as a publicist for the Osmond family, an American family music group, and helped write and produce Merrill Osmond's single America.
Early life
Brown was born in Windsor, Ontario, on October 11, 1963, as Patricia Ann Brown. Her mother, Margaret Leslie Hardie, from Edinburgh, Scotland, and her father, Robert Brown, from Rutherglen, Scotland, both immigrated to Windsor, Ontario where they met. When she was a year old, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan. Brown is a naturalized citizen of the United Statesof America.
Brown was an only child in a middle-class home. She lived in Detroit until she was nine years old. While in Detroit, Brown went to Kosciusko Elementary School from kindergarten to 3rd grade and Evergreen Lutheran Elementary School for 4th grade. When Brown was nine, the family moved to Westland, Michigan, where she attended McKee Elementary School, Nankin Mills Junior High School, and John Glenn High School.
Brown attended Eastern Michigan University in 1982 and graduated in 1989. At Eastern Michigan University, Brown earned a BS in public relations with a minor in industrial technology with a concentration in construction management.
Career
Reporting
Brown started her reporting career in 1988 at the Plymouth-Canton Crier newspaper in Plymouth, Michigan.
In 1990, Brown left the Crier to work for Associated Newspapers in Wayne, Michigan. Associated Newspapers published the Westland Eagle, Wayne Eagle, Canton Eagle, Inkster Ledger Star, Romulus Roman, Belleville Enterprise, and the Sunday Enterprise.
After 18 months of working at Associated Newspapers, Brown was named news editor and helped win the Excellence in Journalism award from the University Press of Michigan for the Westland Eagle in 1990 and 1991. The Excellence in Journalism award was given to the best newspaper in the state. While working at Associated Newspapers, one of her reporting duties was covering the Wayne-Westland Community Schools, from which she graduated. In March 1993, she decided to leave Associated Newspapers to seek election to the Wayne-Westland Community Schools Board of Education.
Wayne-Westland school board
On June 10, 1993, Brown was elected to the Wayne-Westland Board of Education. At the time, the district had a $12 million budget deficit. Brown took the oath of office July 1, 1993, and was elected to serve as treasurer by her board colleagues. She also was elected treasurer by fellow board members in 1994, and in 1995 she was elected vice president of the board and in 1996, she was elected president of the school board and became the first openly lesbian school board president in the State of Michigan.
While serving on the Wayne-Westland Community Schools board, Brown was also appointed to the Wayne County Elections Commission in 1994 and the Westland Local Development Finance Authority in 1995.
On January 17, 1997, as the president of the board, Brown was one of seven members to vote yes to include sexual orientation among the district's anti-discrimination policies alongside race, religion, age, and physical appearance. In 1997, Brown lobbied Michigan Governor John Engler to secure an additional $100 million over 10 years in funding for the district, now known as the Wayne-Westland Equity Language.
Re-election campaign
In May 1997, Brown was seeking reelection to the board of education when she was attacked by several right-wing Christian groups for her sexual orientation and for voting in favor of the policy. A flyer titled "Take a Hike Dyke" was circulated throughout the community, urging voters to not vote for Brown because of her sexual orientation. Additionally, a religious decree was issued by the self-proclaimed Wayne County "Bible Court" comparing electing Brown to the position to hiring an "alcoholic to drive a school bus or a pedophile to work in a day care center".
Brown lost the election by 110 votes. Shortly after Brown's term expired, the policy protecting homosexuals from harassment was removed by a 6–1 vote.