He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother

“… So on we go
His welfare is my concern
No burden is he to bear
We’ll get there

… For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother…”

I’m frequently asked why I have remained so steadfast in my support of my brother, Winston E. Willis’ decades-long fight and why I continue to write his story. Truth be told, I never imagined or even considered the remote possibility that it would be left to me to complete this journey that he began decades ago. The years have flown by, and we are both in our dotage with most of our lives in the proverbial rear-view mirror. But even though, at the age of 83, he can no longer do the extraordinary things he once did as a young man and is not immune to the indignities of old age, he is still Winston. My big brother. And he is still fighting. Perhaps I’ve been holding on to memories and images of our childhood when he guided me safely around the perimeters of the restricted landscape that our early childhood in Montgomery Alabama encompassed. Or when he tutored and help me with my math deficiencies, or in later years, educated me in the intricacies of the workings of the law. Or when we joined forces in a two-person team and faced off against a corrupt judiciary in countless Cleveland courtrooms. As a writer, writing his story, I envisioned the two of us engaging in oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court and winning. And then descending the white marble steps, hand in hand. Jubilant and triumphant. But sadly, it was not to be, and the truth is what it is. And in final analysis, my brother is no longer physically able to guide me through the remaining morass of his legal battle. But I will continue this fight on his behalf, as I promised him I would.

“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” — by Songwriters:/ Russell, Sidney Keith / Scott, Robert William

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