Marva Epperson-Brown: The Revered Rose

I can’t talk about Black women’s contributions to Central Dallas Ministries/CitySquare without talking to and celebrating Marva Epperson-Brown.  We didn’t have a formal onboarding experience in 2009, but one of the things I loved about my onboarding was that Larry told me to prioritize getting out to spend extended time in all programs and get to know the people- staff and community in a real way.  At the time, we were managing the Roseland Homes Community Center in a partnership with Dallas Housing Authority.  Built in 1942, Roseland is one of Dallas’ first public housing communities located in what was once known as Freedmantown/North Dallas (present-day Uptown).  Marva was the Program Director and immediately welcomed me with open arms to get to know all about the important work she and her team did at Roseland, which had received awards in Washington, D.C.  Her work on the Community Advisory Board to reduce breast cancer disparities for women in South Dallas was researched, recommended as a model, and documented in various health publications.  During my orientation, I also learned that she and her husband, Lorenzo, led the Central Dallas Church, located across the street from Roseland, and it was also under the Central Dallas Ministries program umbrella.  Marva and I bonded quickly over our love of people and fashion.  I immediately sensed there was much to learn from this fashionable fighter and faith-filled first lady, and that proved true.  Marva has a gentle, truth-in-love, constant way of advocating for what is right, leading, serving, and mentoring people.  

Within a year of joining the organization, she had me attending Monday night community Bible study at Central Dallas Church (an early partnership with the Church of the Incarnation) and teaching a dance class for girls in Roseland Homes. She didn’t coerce me or hover; she simply invited me and walked alongside me in loving community.  My experience with Marva mirrors countless stories of many community members and friends.  It’s just who she is. Marva’s impact on the organization and the people was so important that Larry wrote an entire chapter about her in his first book, The Wealth of the Poor.  

 Due to a loss of funding, we stopped managing the Roseland Community Center and programs and had to transition Central Dallas Church out of our programs. Marva’s leadership, community organizing, and deep relationships were key in forging a partnership with the Church of Incarnation that led to integral collaboration and support for programming at Roseland and Central Dallas Church.  

Marva taught me how to walk my talk better, to be in genuine community, and to respect people’s unique journeys. I am the better because of her, and so is the City of Dallas. 

Where are you from, and how does that influence the work you do? 

I’m from Phoenix, AZ. I worked in finance and human resources for years for about 25-26 years.  I’ve always worked with people- in finance, people had needs, but I enjoyed the HR work more because I was really impacting people’s lives.  

When did you work at CitySquare, and what was your role? 

I started in the summer of 1995. I went there for services. My husband had just passed away, and my daughter, Ronyell, was a little girl.  Larry met us at the stairs and asked if Ronyell could go to a camp they were holding. I said I wasn’t sure because I didn’t know much about him or the organization.  But we talked, and I let her go to camp- she loved it. 

And then one day I asked him, ” How do you run this place? Do you use volunteers? He said yes and asked me more about my background. I started volunteering at the Food Pantry. Larry and Janet Morrison- Lane, who was the director of the Food Pantry at the time, were away at a conference and left me to oversee the pantry; they didn’t know what to expect upon returning.  I’d reorganized the pantry so well they offered me a job. And that’s kind of how I started. He just met me where I was. He didn’t know that I had just lost my husband, had just gotten out of the hospital with tuberculosis, and had just had a lot going on.  I should have gone back to Phoenix, but I didn’t, and I’m glad I didn’t now.  

My first official role was in the Food Pantry.  I was managing the food pantry, when a dear co-worker and friend, Dan Umphress, told Larry that my calling was with families and not in the food pantry.  He was right.  My calling wasn’t the food pantry, but that was part of my journey. That was when I started working in Roseland in 1999.  We had a summer camp there, and I was doing community outreach- going door to door, and I met amazing women who were battling addiction, terminal illness, and so much.   We added programs in Roseland in response to the community’s requests and needs, such as a food pantry, an award-winning medical clinic, parenting and education programs, and a women’s self-care program named Ladies Oxygen that is still going today. We also ended up managing the Roseland Community Center.   

Why did you work at CitySquare? 

I think for me, it met a need I had in my life at that time. I needed to be taken care of. I will say this about Larry: he valued Black women. He thought we brought something to the table, and that always impressed me. Over the years, I knew I could’ve worked somewhere else, but I loved what I was doing. I love building relationships. I like meeting people where they are and having programs that meet their needs. I also love it when people pay it forward and come back to help somebody else. We always valued that at Central Dallas Ministries/CitySquare. 

What made CitySquare special to you? 

All of the staff, all the Central Dallas Church members, and all the families I’ve met along the way on my journey with Central Dallas Ministries /CitySquare.  Everyone had different gifts, but we all worked out of the gift of love, the gift of faith, and the gift of non-judgment. 

What is the legacy of your contributions to CitySquare? 

My legacy is loving people where they are, creating an atmosphere of trust, and knowing it’s okay to fail and pick yourself back up. 

What are you doing now? 

I volunteered at Incarnation Place before my role was formalized in 2012.  I now serve as the Director of Outreach at Incarnation Place, where I continue to serve the Roseland Community and the members of the Central Dallas Church.