With more than 300 people expected for its inaugural MLK event Monday, the newly reformed East Chicago branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is ready to “move in formation” again.
The event, which is the group’s first, is set to honor 11 people, including U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland; State Senator Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago; and State Representative Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, Chapter Secretary Valrie Kemp Davis said. Among their goals, however, is reminding people of all races and nationalities to recognize that no one can overcome injustice by themselves.
Benita White-Arnold, on left, speaks as her husband, Donnell Arnold, sits nearby as members of the NAACP East Chicago Chapter gather at Greater Destiny Bible Church on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
The chapter, East Chicago 3046-B, resurrected itself in November 2024 after nearly a decade by petitioning the state NAACP and was regranted its charter in February, its president, Benita White Arnold, said. The new group, which attracted 84 new members when it needed 50 for the recharter, held its inaugural meeting on April 16, where it elected officers, she said.
An integral organization in the city for as long as any of the officers can remember, the former chapter dissolved in 2015 simply out a lack of participation, Treasurer Catherine Thomas said. People get busy with their own things and either didn’t have time or were unwilling to make time for pushing back against bigger issues.
“We didn’t have a line of succession (for the younger generation to step into),” Kelly B. Williams, group member and founder of Greater Destiny Bible Church, said. “With the Internet, they don’t go to church or the barber shop or the beauty shop like they used to. It used to be that those places were therapy for us, but if there’s no community, there’s no conversation.”
Businesses have also seemingly switched their focus from community to more insular goals, Williams said, noting that going to a barber shop or salon has a much different feel than it did years ago.
NAACP East Chicago Chapter member Georgette Rias-Baker speaks as members of the newly-reinstated organization gather at the church on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
“The business community has abandoned its role in leading the community and gotten more into revenue. They don’t want to engage, and that’s been a huge loss,” he said. “We’re professional people who have a sense of responsibility, plus Benita has a gift of getting people to do what we want to do.”
One of the issues the group sees is that people no longer “trust the process,” White Arnold said. A man she met in Montgomery, Alabama, put the fine point on that for her.
“He was on Dr. King’s team, and I’d asked him, ‘How did you get (arrested protesters) out of jail?’ Back then, everyone chipped in whatever they could — 50 cents, a dollar, two dollars — from all over the country without question. They trusted the process,” White Arnold said. “Now, people will donate to a cause if they know the person or they know the organizer, like, ‘I’ll do it for you,’ but we must help each other without condition.
“This man told me that after (MLK) was released from jail, he and others guarded his home against threats at night time. Can you imagine kissing your family goodbye and going to stand watch for someone not knowing whether you would be returning home? I hope with the resurrection (of the East Chicago chapter), we can be the example.”
NAACP East Chicago Chapter member Apostle Kelly B. Williams, of Greater Destiny Bible Church, speaks about the importance of unity as members of the newly-reinstated organization gather at the church on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Williams, whose ministry has taken him to South Africa, among other places, said he’s learned the enemy is “invisible” and that it’s the chapter’s mission to teach.
“Experts say that it takes seven generations to overcome the specter of slavery, and we’re not there. (African-Americans) don’t know what it’s like to be out from under that yet,” he said. “Now, this conglomerate of causes has reignited the need for us to exist.”
The group understands that there’s distrust and that their leadership may look like “the Old Guard” to some, Kemp Davis acknowledged. But with a government that’s becoming more violent toward everyone by the day, there’s no time to worry about appearances.
“There is a fierce urgency of now, and no longer can we rely on one person to lead us out of this,” Kemp Davis said. “Civil rights is civil rights, and we have to set the blueprint.”
NAACP East Chicago Chapter member Catherine Thomas speaks as members of the newly-reinstated group gather at Greater Destiny Bible Church on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
“We disappear because of a lack of knowledge,” added member and author Georgette Rias-Baker. “For example, find where we put our money, and look what happened to Target,” referring to declining sales and stock prices after consumers launched a boycott when the retailer abandoned diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The East Chicago NAACP Branch 3046-B’s Martin Luther King Jr. event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at Dynasty Hall, 4125 Calumet Ave., in Hammond. For more information or join the group, log onto https://eastchicagonaacp.org/ or email eastchicagonaacp@gmail.com.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.