
<p>There is a lot of criticism over the influence and the use of social media platforms as vehicles of misinformation and vitriol. ; But there is another story to tell. It is about a guy named Jerry Brown and me.</p>



<p>He died recently. ; I grieve him as a dear and valued friend – even shed a tear upon hearing the news. ; And that is remarkable because I never met Jerry. ; I never heard his voice on the telephone. ; We never exchanged emails. ; ;</p>



<p>The only common denominator was that we both spent a lifetime in Chicago – under very different circumstances. ; I grew up in an all-white lower-income blue-collar neighborhood on the northwest side. ; Jerry spent his life in the segregated inner city. ; I staked my political claim with the Republican Party. ; Jerry was a staunch Democrat. ; We both engaged in civic and political activities throughout our lives.</p>



<p>Other than that, we were just two guys with Facebook accounts. ; Somewhere along the line the mysterious Zuckerberg algorithms connected us. ; I cannot recall if he had responded to something of mine that popped up on his home page – or something he wrote popped up on mine. ; It does not matter. ; ;</p>



<p>However, it started, Jerry and I carried on a multi-year dialogue – or more of a discourse that also included others in those threads. ; They were the kind of exchanges you would expect of friends. ; We talked of family, the old day, religion, history, health and, of course, politics. ; There was no one on Facebook that I interacted with more than I did with Jerry.</p>



<p>Jerry did not like President Trump, to say the least. ; And he was not overly fond of Republican policies in general. ; But he was both an intelligent and principled person. ; He never saw the “other side” as consummate evil – or his side as having a monopoly on goodness. ; He was a black man, but he never saw himself as tribal. ; As a matter of fact, many of his strongest admonitions were directed to black folks acting badly. ; He was as hard on the activities of black gangs as he was on the violence of white supremacists. ; It was that ““principal”” thing.</p>



<p>On Facebook, he operated as a self-appointed reporter – drawing attention to things he liked or disliked in his community. ; He was also an educator – sharing his years of knowledge and wisdom. ; And he was a scold. ; He did not hold back when he thought someone needed a good tongue-lashing. ;</p>



<p>Jerry also had a sense of humor that seemed to be founded on a general joy of life. ; He could express anger at situations but never was an angry person. ; We had hoped to meet one day – maybe have dinner. ; I imagine that we would have laughed a lot.</p>



<p>If you followed Jerry’s Facebook postings, you would also know that he was a family man – proud of his children and grandchildren. ; Bursting with pride, to use the term. ; I got to know them to a degree through the postings – and I would say that Jerry had every reason to be proud. ; He did a good job as father and grandfather.</p>



<p>I have a lot of family stuff on my Facebook – birthdays, holidays, and the accomplishments of my kids. ; Inevitably, there would be a “like” from Jerry – and often that iconic “heart.”</p>



<p>I have often mentioned in commentaries that I had never hated another human … ever. ; I saw the same in Jerry. ; He looked at every situation through an unadulterated principle of right and wrong. ; He had a moral compass that guided him.</p>



<p>His health had been declining in recent years – high blood pressure, cancer &#8212; but his lasts posts – a day or so before he died – never gave any hint that the world would lose him so soon. ; He was still reporting, educating and … scolding.</p>



<p>I often wondered if it is possible that when we move beyond this mortal plain, we get the God in whom we believed. ; I hope that is true for Jerry. ; He has earned a high place in the heaven of his faith.</p>



<p>See … social media is not all bad. ; I am thankful to have known Jerry and had him as a true “friend.” ; I will miss him.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Jerry and me
