Celebrating Tammie Leigh Brown-Edwards: Macomb's First Black Woman Editor, Council Member
February marks Black History Month, and as part of this month's celebration, the Community News Brief is focusing on the Black women who have paved their way in Macomb and well beyond the state's borders.
Tammie Leigh Brown-Edwards moved to Macomb more than 20 years ago from Aurora to assume the role of editor for the Macomb Journal. She was the first Black woman to serve as the editor for what was then Macomb's local newspaper. As a young reporter, she worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Chicago Sun-Times Company, before coming to Macomb to work for the Macomb Journal.
Born in East Moline, her family hailing from Kewanee and graduating from Eastern Illinois University, Brown-Edwards said she has always felt at home in small towns, college towns and close-knit communities. Soon after moving to Macomb in 2002, she married Stirling Edwards a few months later and the two purchased a home in Macomb. After their first visit to McDonough County, they knew Macomb was the right choice to call home.
'In moving here, like most young professionals, you think Macomb is a place where you can stay for a little while, but then that little while morphs itself into a long while and you make a house into a home, neighbors become part of your community and the people you meet in passing soon turn to faces you look forward to seeing more regularly,' she said.
Brown-Edwards was the editor for four years before becoming a new mother to their now 17-year-old son, Sloane. While she had numerous achievements as the editor of the Macomb Journal before staying home to raise their son, Brown-Edwards said there are two that stand out.
'As editor, I started providing free school supplies for children in the county and initiated the first Juneteenth event in Macomb,' Brown-Edwards told The Community News Brief. 'Outside of the newspaper, I was the co-founder of 'The Seen,' Macomb's first entertainment newspaper which highlighted dining, entertainment and nightlife in the Macomb-area.'
Fast forward 17 years, Brown-Edwards was elected as an alderperson to Macomb's City Council 2019 and as such, was the first Black woman and the first woman to win a citywide election as alderman- at-large to the town's governing body. Preparing for that role, she established the Safe Exchange location at the Macomb Police Department, encouraged the Macomb Park District to start a movies in the park series and laid the groundwork to create a historic designation for the Rev. Dr. CT Vivian homestead property.
'I was also instrumental in the city recognizing Macomb's first Black police officer Bill Thorpe by hanging his portrait in City Hall. I proposed ordinances such as condemning hate speech and hate symbols, non-discriminatory hiring practices related to hair and head coverings in support of The Crown Act, sought approval for an honorary street to be named after Macomb's Black trailblazer Oliver Daniels, visited with constituents with my coffeeshop chats and really tried to be visible in the community,' she shared.
Brown-Edwards, who has worked at Western Illinois University since 2020, ran for re-election in 2023, but lost to former council member Don Wynn. While she is no longer on the City Council, she remains an active member of the community, including serving as the founder and organizer of '309 Day,' a set day every March to honor the community through acts of kindness.
She has been involved in the Macomb Lions and Elks clubs; Boy Scout Troop 332; University Professionals of Illinois WIU Chapter 4100; Macomb Feminist Network; Juneteenth (and was the co-founder); League of Women Voters of McDonough County; Order of Eastern Star Macomb Chapter 123; Youth Peace, a youth group for Macomb High School students; precinct committeeperson of Macomb; and the Western Illinois Regional Council Board.
She has also served as member, campus advisor and president of the local chapters of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., served with community activities and been involved in many other civic and service organizations.
When asked why it's important to be involved in the community, Brown-Edwards said it all comes down to being connected to a community.
'Coming from Kewanee, my parents understood the importance of community and the interconnectedness of family, friends and how friends can become family. When I was growing up, my mom, Pare Lee Brown, would send me to school with a double lunch. Every day she would pack me with two sandwiches, two Slim Jims, two juice pouches, two fruit roll ups and, in the winter months, a thermos filled with enough chicken noodle soup for two. She often spoke about going to school with kids who didn’t have lunch money or not enough money to buy both breakfast and lunch; and she wanted to make sure that every kid in my school knew I had extra food and they could quietly ask me for anything in my lunch box,' she added. 'Back then it felt like a burden of responsibility, but when I got older, I understood that service is not about the things you know someone may need, but it’s anticipation, readiness, ability and willingness to be a blessing to a person whenever possible. My sorority's motto is ‘Greater Service, Greater Progress’ and long before I knew those words my parents instilled in me that there is always something greater than myself and greater above myself.
'Living here in Macomb really makes you feel a part of the fabric of what makes a place home, for better or worse. My husband used to say 'You're either part of the solution or part of the problem,' and I think most people want to be part of the solution in making anything better,' Brown-Edwards pointed out. “To make something good for yourself, for others and to create a legacy that will outlast the days I am above the earth's surface, is motivation to me to always strive for better.'
