Brown's parents separated when Brown was young, and she and her mother moved in with Brown's maternal grandparents in Mobile, Alabama. Brown describes her grandmother as her "soulmate" and a significant influence in her life; from the age of six Brown accompanied her grandmother to the polls where her grandmother "dressed in her Sunday best" and emphasized the importance of her ability to vote: She was born in 1910 and not permitted to do so for most of her life. Brown's grandfather, who had been similarly denied access to the polls throughout his life, carried a poll tax receipt in his wallet as a reminder.
