House Resolution 68

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING AND COMMENDING THE OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE OF DR. PAM CHATMAN, AND EXPRESSING SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR HER SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO BENEFIT THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, Dr. Pam Chatman is a preeminent servant leader who has been destined for greatness since assuming the mantle of public service through civic and social engagement, made evident in her zealous advocacy for serving all mankind in a vein of selfless sacrifice, akin to that of civil rights activist, Fannie Lou Hamer, with whom she shares the same birthday; and

WHEREAS, tapped by the Mississippi Magnolia Bar Association as the recipient of the Harriet Tubman Award for her courageous leadership in the Mississippi Delta, Dr. Chatman has used her voice to find and create sustainable opportunities for families in the Mississippi Delta; and

WHEREAS, additionally, she has received the Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Service award from the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and was recently awarded, on the national level, the Humanitarian Of the Year by the Women Doing It Big organization during its meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona; and

WHEREAS, well known for her professionally astute business acumen, Dr. Chatman, who was recognized by her Mississippi peers, as one of Mississippi's Most Influential Women in Business, for having assisted more than 4,000 low income families in the Mississippi Delta and North Mississippi by helping them during 2022 through her organization Boss Lady Economic Planning Development Workforce Transportation; and

WHEREAS, with a mission and aim of aiding those in need from falling victims to eviction and keeping their utilities on due to hardships experienced during the pandemic through the Mississippi Home Corporation's Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program (RAMP); and

WHEREAS, 2022 proved to be an active year of championing causes to redirect the plight of those in need of various forms of assistance through empowering initiatives, including: partnering with USDA to help families through Rural Development with home improvement and the new home ownership program to help families with better housing opportunities; helping families who were without functioning bathrooms and overall home improvement needs; helping families in the rural Mississippi Delta by facilitating the path to homeownership; and working with Save the Children assisting more than 3,000 families by providing healthy nutritional produce for children and families through the Holiday Food Box Program; partnering with Foundation of the Mid-South to help distribute over 2,000 food boxes in rural communities through the Boss Lady Food Crisis Mobile Distribution Program to make sure that the elderly and impoverished communities received USDA meats and fresh produce; partnering with Entergy and Amerigroup to distribute in excess of 1,500 blankets and energy efficiency kits to help families during the winter months; requesting the declaration for Housing Crisis Emergency assistance for more than 100 families which had to be evacuated due to excessive exposure to carbon monoxide at an apartment complex; joining forces with Mississippi Coats for Kids and Walmart providing over 2,000 coats, gloves and hats for children; and partnering with Associated Wholesale Grocery Company in Hernando to create more than 100 workforce opportunities for residents; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Bennie Thompson highlighted Dr. Chatman during a Federal Infrastructure Conference held in Mississippi for her contributions made towards the creation of more than 1,000 jobs, becoming one of the largest private workforce transportation initiatives in the Mississippi Delta, partnering with FedEx transporting and using more than nine 55-passenger charter buses to create opportunities for the rural communities across the Delta region; and

WHEREAS, additionally during 2022, Rust College acknowledged her historical mark in broadcasting upon becoming Mississippi's first African-American female news director by dedicating and naming the Broadcasting Operation Building in her honor; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Chatman joined forces with Telecom EDS Tech LLC - Retrain America Company to create the first Broadband Fiber Optic Workforce Training program in the Mississippi Delta, while partnering with several city, county, state and federal organizations to assist with creating higher paying jobs for Mississippians; and

WHEREAS, through the Kellogg Foundation, the Walton Foundation and the Foundation of the Mid-South, Dr. Chatman is now working with a trio of nonprofits to create sustainable workforce trainings and job opportunities across the rural Mississippi Delta; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to acknowledge remarkable individuals of Dr. Chatman's caliber, whose selfless dedication to improving the quality of life of Mississippians in underserved areas shines a beacon of light on her heart of compassion and service to be her brother's keeper through acts of humanitarianism:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby acknowledge and commend the outstanding community service of Dr. Pam Chatman, expressing sincere appreciation for her significant contributions to benefit the citizens of the State of Mississippi, and extend best wishes for continued success in all her future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Dr. Pam Chatman and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.