AACHM Oral History: Alice Brennan-Key
Alice Brennan-Key was born in Ann Arbor in 1953. Her parents met in Florida after her father immigrated from the Bahamas, and they moved to Ann Arbor in the 1940s. Brennan-Key grew up on Gott Street, next door to her current residence. She has seen the neighborhood change over the years due to gentrification. She went to Michigan State University as an undergraduate and received her master’s in social work from the University of Michigan. She spent most of her career working with developmentally disabled and mentally ill residents of Washtenaw County. She raised her daughter Khyla in Ann Arbor.
2012 Calendar - The Village That Raised Their Children: The History of Ann Arbor's Black Community
AACHM Oral History: Jennifer and Hershal Brown
Hershal Brown was born in 1946. He lived off and on with his parents in Gary, Indiana, but he was raised primarily by his grandparents in Ann Arbor. He remembers having many role models at Bethel AME Church. After graduating from Ann Arbor High School, Brown served in the military in Spain. He worked at Ford Motor Company in pre-prototype coordination for 31 years. He also worked and volunteered for the Ann Arbor Public Schools and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s department. He married his longtime sweetheart Jennifer Benton in 1968 and they have two daughters, Charisse and Heather.
View historical materials for Hershal Brown.
Jennifer Brown was born in 1948 in Ann Arbor to Charles and Laurel Benton. She recalls learning to fish with her father and attending Jones School. Her mother encouraged her to take advanced classes in high school. Brown worked in banking and bank management for the first half of her career while her children were young. Later in life she got her master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan and became a social worker. She has been married to her husband Hershal Brown for 53 years. They have two daughters, Charisse and Heather, and three grandchildren.
Blake Mentioned As Postmaster
- Read more about Blake Mentioned As Postmaster
- Log in or register to post comments
Bethel A.M.E. Leader Richard Blake Dies
- Read more about Bethel A.M.E. Leader Richard Blake Dies
- Log in or register to post comments
Political color barrier broken by faith, strategy
- Read more about Political color barrier broken by faith, strategy
- Log in or register to post comments
AME man delights in helping make church run
- Read more about AME man delights in helping make church run
- Log in or register to post comments