2024 Black History Month: William Rawls Jr.
It’s time to spotlight one of our neighbors, presented to you by the Tennessee Lottery.
Each week in February, WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News will celebrate Black History Month by introducing you to a member of our community here in West Tennessee.
This week’s spotlight is a leader who is passionate about his city. Not only did he grow up here locally, but he has made history in his small town.
“I grew up here in Brownsville, Tennessee, working in my family business, Rawls Funeral Home System. We’ve been in business for 90 years,” said Brownsville Mayor William Rawls, Jr.
Growing up in a small town really allowed him to know his fellow neighbors.
“We have one school system, so that means when you went to school with someone you grew up with from first grade all the way through 12th grade, whether you’re black or white, at that time did have a big Spanish influx into our community,” Mayor Rawls said. “So we all got to grow up and know each other understand each other’s character.”
Mayor Rawls graduated from Morehouse and later returned back home to help with Rawls Funeral Home.
“Knowing service all my life working through my family business. It was, it was in my DNA, but I relied on my faith. Faith is the one thing that was centered everything I do, and to take this journey,” Rawls said. “I became the first African American mayor in the City of Brownsville in 2014. But I would always tell people, I may be the first, but I won’t be the last.”
Mayor Rawls is an inspiration for many, but before he made history, he was inspired by his father, who solely raised him and his siblings after the passing of his mother.
“He never stopped working. He never stopped pushing forward. And believing in us. He put all three of us to college. If you went to graduate school, you had to borrow money to do that yourself, but he took care of us. He nurtured us, he loved on us. He was a great example of what a father should be,” Rawls said.
Through his experience, he has some insightful words for others looking to live their passion.
“Look for and also we have opportunity look back, understand what we get to do, the rights and privileges, and I’m humbled to have this right and this privilege to serve as the mayor, it’s based on the work that was done before me,” he said. “My grandfather, my father, the pillars of the community, we stand on their shoulders. Truly, you hear people say that a lot. But in order to reach a higher level, you have to stand on something.”
Mayor Rawls also shared one of the main sources of his success.
“The foundation of everything I’ve done and will do is my faith,” he said.
And lastly, he spoke on the importance of researching, and telling the stories of those around you, not just the stories of those well known. Don’t let the story be lost.
Mayor Rawls invites everyone to the many celebrations of the Brownsville Bicentennial. Click here for more information.
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