Last month, the Gary Branch of NAACP hosted a holiday fundraiser featuring Dr. Chris Pernell, a leading voice in preventive medicine and public health. During the event, the charismatic Pernell presented a challenge to attendees to continue to transform the community served by the NAACP Gary branch and posed the question, “What’s The Game Plan?”
Pernell went on to energize the crowd, stating “We are in a Justice Showdown,” and noted the chapter must move forward with a “new heart, new spirit and a new meaning and purpose.”
In 2022, NJBiz named Pernell as one of the “Best 50 Women in Business.” She was selected as an ROI Influencer in the Women in Business New Jersey roster, the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) 2022 Volunteer of the Year Award and received the Ron Davis Special Recognition Award in 2021.
Branch President Stephen Mays accepted the challenge on behalf of its members indicating that “the Gary Branch will enter the new year with a Game Plan to continue the fight against inequalities; racism; sexism and any system that leads to oppression of Black and brown people.”
Mays added that the work of the NAACP Gary Branch will continue thanks to the support of its many sponsors including NIPSCO; AARP Indiana; HomeSmart Legacy; State Farm; Calumet Township Trustee, Kimberly K. Robinson; 1st Financial Bank; Attorney Deirdre L. Monroe; Tolbert & Tolbert Legal, LLC.; Ivy Tech Community College; STEELFAB, Inc; Indiana University Northwest; Kappa Alpha Psi Gary Alumni Chapter; Gary Housing Authority; Gary Community School Corporation; MGT Consulting; Faith Temple of Christ; UPS and Lake County Commissioner Kyle Allen.
Those interested in joining the NAACP Gary Branch movement are invited to the first meeting of 2023 on Friday, January 6, 2023, 5:00 p.m. at Innsbrook Country Club, 3904 6701 Taft St., in Merrillville, IN. For more information about membership, send an email to [email protected] or visit www.NAACPgary.org.
