WILLIE BROWN

I worked for Willie Brown for a couple of years and came away awed by his extraordinary intellect. Asked what I think of him, I say he is, by far, the smartest man I ever met. Often the questioner responds by saying, “You mean the smartest black man you ever met?” Is Willie Brown’s public image colored by institutional racism? Nah. Couldn’t be.

JACKIE BRAINARD

Sherman Oaks