After nearly two decades of service, Remel Terry has been named president of the NAACP Chicago Westside Branch. Terry becomes the first woman to oversee the branch in almost 20 years.
Terry said the milestone carries deep personal and community significance, not simply because she is the first woman to lead the Westside Branch in nearly 20 years, but because it reflects the respect and confidence placed in her by former president Karl Brinson. She credited Brinson’s longstanding commitment and volunteer service to the community as a major reason she remained involved with the branch for so many years.
“I believe having his faith, support and trust in my ability to lead this organization and take it to the next level is truly humbling. I also believe it’s a great opportunity for the Chicago Westside Branch and our broader constituency, especially since I’ve been with the organization for the past 17 years,” Terry said.
Terry was also recently made the head of Chicago’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, a police oversight body.
Energized by this new chapter in her leadership journey, Terry described her commitment to continuing as a servant leader for the Black community by amplifying its concerns and pushing for equitable treatment and long-overdue resources. Addressing her statement that “we are the cavalry we seek,” she characterized it as a call for West Side residents to utilize their power and take ownership of it.
Terry plans to focus on three main priorities in her first year as president: improving education, increasing access to business capital and addressing housing to support generational wealth.
“I think about things like education. When you have a quality education, and when you are well-educated, not only from an institutional perspective but also with self-knowledge, it helps you make better decisions, instills a sense of pride and prepares you for future opportunities, whether that means entering the traditional workforce or becoming a business owner or entrepreneur,” Terry said.
Ensuring equitable access to business capital according to Terry involves working with financial institutions to understand their lending practices and build the relationships necessary for fair representation. This approach connects community members to available resources and prepares them to make the most of those opportunities. It also emphasizes responsible stewardship of programs designed to support small businesses.
“We’re thinking about housing as well, because it’s a cornerstone of generational wealth. We’re not just focused on getting people into homes, but also on working with our communities to ensure they’re prepared for what that entails,” Terry said.
She noted that Black communities have long faced historic disinvestment and often lack adequate representation.
“I think growth is incremental. Often, people expect a drastic change, which can happen, but growth is something you continually work toward and strive for. For the work we’re doing at the branch, that means getting more people to join our efforts and understanding that many hands make the load lighter, so the work doesn’t feel as heavy or cumbersome,” Terry said.
Terry discusses how it’s important to make sure they are not forgotten, observing that when Black people thrive, everyone benefits, as civil rights history shows.
“Just yesterday, we held a candidate forum for the Cook County Assessor candidates, and something I find very unfortunate today is that Black people have been misled about their position, especially when it comes to voting and understanding the power of their vote.” Terry said.
Engaging more people in the work she believes will accelerate progress and empower communities at a local level, helping them understand their rights and actively participate in shaping what they deserve.
“Oftentimes, some of us believe that someone is coming to save us. What that looks like in real time is actually being committed and doing the work. I understand the importance of carrying on the legacy of those who came before me. When we look at the current moment and the conversations around rollbacks and things being taken away, what I know to be true is that our community has unfortunately been in a regressive phase for a very long time,” Terry said.
