In the span of a life cut short by a fatal motor cycle accident, ‘Big George’ Hughley left indelible footprints and a legacy of intellectual brilliance, exemplary professionalism, and a model humanitarian. Those accolades notwithstanding, ‘Big George’ Hughley was most of all -the “best friend” Jim Brown ever had. When Brown decided to ‘invest in human development,’ and cast his bucket down in the ‘belly of the beast’ in order to affect positive social change; he knew that ‘Big George’ would accompany him into a world filled with individuals who’d given up on the prospect of ever living meaningful, productive lives. There are thousands of individuals 20 years later that owe a great debt to the man standing next to the man that launched the Amer-I-Can Program for Social Change. That man was ‘Big George’ Hughley.
George Charles Hughley was born June 26, 1939, in Santa Monica, California. He was exceptionally smart and a superlative athlete; a big, powerful, physically imposing figure. ‘Big George played one season with the Washington Redskins in the NFL, then returned to LA.and went to work in the office of the late Tom Bradley, the first black Mayor of Los Angeles. By 1989 he was the Chief Investigator, LAPD Fraud Investigations of City Government. ‘Big George’ was renowned for his attention to detail and his thoroughness led to an incredible conviction rate of cases involving fraud. He also worked many years in LAPD as an undercover narcotics detective. His interface with Jim Brown changed both men’s lives and launched what is now known as the Amer-I-Can Foundation for Social Change.
What began as a social friendship quickly evolved into a historical juggernaut. The two men spent countless hours engaging in far-reaching intellectual exchanges. ‘Big George’ escaped from the stresses of his profession at Jim’s home in the Hollywood Hills. He eventually convinced Jim that drugs and gang violence was destroying the urban core of LA. Their common interest in human development mandated some form of intervention.
Once committed to affecting positive social change, the men established the facts and sprang into action; the first step was to engage the young men responsible for the carnage and mayhem. “Other than Jim Brown, ‘Big George was the most influential person in my life,” exclaimed ‘Rock’ Johnson, one of the shinning examples of human reformation. “Big George could read people; he was smart, disciplined and extremely loyal to Jim – he was a man amongst men….If it wasn’t for Jim, ‘Big George’ and the Amer-I-Can curriculum, I’d be dead or in jail.” Aqueela Sherrils, one of the architects of the legendary ‘Peace Treaty (in Watts) of 1992, recalled the impact ‘Big George’ had on the formation of Amer-I-Can: “Big George was smart as hell; he was the only person that matched Jim’s intellect and he could communicate with Jim in a way that none of us could – his value to the advancement of Amer-I-Can was priceless.” Julian Mendoza, one of the longstanding contributors to the Amer-I-Can Movement remembered the extraordinary lengths ‘Big George’ would go to advance the work: “It took a while to get to know him, but when I did it was easy to see his importance; his technical expertise, professionalism and organizational skills were invaluable. He would go out of his way to help me be successful. He attended many of the graduations I conducted at the juvenile camps and helped me set up the equipment, bring supplies, whatever was necessary for the program to meet the standard of expectation.”
Until that fateful day, February 27, 1999, when a motorcycle accident claimed his life, ‘Big George’ Hughley was the consummate proponent of the Amer-I-Can Program for Social Change. “He was my BEST FRIEND,” exclaimed Jim Brown. “He never wanted anything in exchange for his friendship.”
On the 20th Anniversary of the Amer-I-Can Foundation for Social Change it is fitting to salute the memory and accomplishment of a man who devoted his heart, mind and soul to affecting positive social change – ‘BIG GEORGE’ HUGHLEY!
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