Brown aims to rebuild parks, programs and community ties

Vicksburg’s new Parks and Recreation Director, Roosevelt Brown, says he’s ready to bring new energy and purpose to the department — and to help rebuild the sense of community that shaped him growing up.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to help my city,” Brown said. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of contacts, and I want to utilize them to regenerate the department and bring people together.”

A former professional baseball player and founder of The Sandlot, a youth sports training facility on Wisconsin Avenue, Brown said his transition into public service is a natural extension of the mentorship and development work he’s already doing.

“I was going to help regardless, whether it was me at The Sandlot or me doing this over here, but this is my priority,” Brown said. “The city is going to get 100% of me. The Sandlot was opened up to help build a Division player, or a next level guy, that’s why we did that. We’ve tried to get people to come together a little more, but (that’s been) a tough cookie to crack.”

Brown also wanted to make clear that although he has a clear passion for baseball, his focus will remain on all sports.

“I don’t want anybody to mistake that my main focus is baseball, it’s every sport,” he said. “I want to try and figure out a way to make our rec basketball league better. I want to figure out a way to make soccer better. And we’re going to figure it out.”

As part of that goal, Brown plans to rebuild participation in youth sports and recreation programs that have waned in recent years.

“When I was a kid, considering where we grew up in the south, recreational sports integrated the town,” he said. “It built good relationships with people on both sides of the fence, and I’d like to see that again. I think travel ball has divided a lot of people here, and I want to try to create a rec program that we’re proud of.”

He said that while competitive travel teams have their place, city recreational leagues offer something equally valuable: community and inclusion.