b'COMMUNITY NEWSRosemary Lytle and The NAACPW hen Rosemary Harris Lytle left her newsroomthe Urban League, Lutheran Family Services job at The Gazette in Colorado Springs, she hadand the Colorado Springs Fire Department, spent nearly 25 years in daily journalism and hadamongothers,ledtherelocationof2600 little idea where life would take her. So, it was goodsurvivors of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina to fortune when her Volvo drove itself to the office of thethe Pikes Peak Region of Colorado. She calls NAACP Colorado Springs Branch the very next day. her service as Coordinator of the Pikes Peak ThatmorningvisitliterallychangedthecourseDisasterReliefCenterthemostimpactful ofherlife.ShesubsequentlybecamePresidentofwork she has done in the NAACP.theNAACPColoradoSpringsBranch,PresidentofIn2013,LytlewaselectedasPresidentPortia Prescottthe NAACP CO MT WY State Conference and ChairoftheNAACPColoradoMontanaWyoming of NAACP Midwest Region IV, among other NAACPState Area Conference, expanding her activ- Rosemary Harris Lytleleadership positions.ism throughout the three states and NAACPTreasurer Linda LeMieux, OnFebruary12,2022,Lytleinstallednewoffi- Midwest Region IV.NAACP Senior VP Carmen Watkins, former NAACP cers and a new State President. The new ExecutiveAsStatePresidentfornearlyadecade,LytlesChair of the Board Rev. Dr. Rosalyn M. Brock, and Committee and OfficersPortia Prescott, President;accomplishments,throughtheNAACP,arewell- former National Presidents Benjamin Todd Jealous AnnettJames,1stVP;HarvestThomas,2ndVP,known and well-documented:and Professor Cornell William Brooks. Linda LeMieux, State Treasurer; and Shikima Kym Ray, State Secretaryare now in place, leading the Voting modernization,Rosemary is the spouse of businessperson, NAACP stalwart NAACP State Conference.Marriage equality,leader and retired military officer Frank Lytle. Her NAACP and civil rights work has been my labor Cannabis decriminalization,family includes daughter Courtney-Rose Dantus, a of love, said Lytle, who has been affiliated with theColorado College grad, business owner and federal NAACPsinceshewasa16-year-oldinGary,Ind. Ending predatory payday loans and eliminatinggovernment staffer; son-in-love Adam Dantus of the And that continues. This is a season of continua- slavery from the Colorado constitution Washington Nationals; and precocious granddaugh-tion; continuation of the legacy of the NAACP strug-Maintaining affirmative action ter Sydney Roseall of Montgomery County, MD. gle of fighting injustice wherever it exists. We owe itShe is a member of the Eta Theta Sigma Alumnae to our founders to stay the course. When we fight, PromotingpublicsafetyandendingthedeathChapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.we win. We have a team ready to continue the fightpenalty Lytlessuccessor,PortiaPrescott,isacorporate for civil rights in these states.Health equity in a pandemic andentrepreneurialleaderrecognizedforestab-LytlewasfirstelectedSecretaryoftheNAACP MemorializingPrestonPorterJr.,aColoradolishing thriving professional staffing, HR, business Colorado Springs Branch. Then, she was elected 1stlynching victim marketing,andrecruitingoperations.Sheisa Vice President and served as NAACP State EducationSubscribing Silver Life member of the NAACP Aurora ChairunderpastStatePresidentMs.BeatriceLytle, a subscribing Gold Life member of the NAACPBranch, under the leadership of Branch President Madison. And when Rev. Dr. Benjamin L. ReynoldsColoradoSpringsBranchundertheleadershipofC.OmarMontgomery,hasservedasanAnnual resignedhisposition,LytlemoveduptobecomeBranchPresidentAngelaN.Stevens.RosemaryisConvention Delegate for the Branch and helped plan President of the Branchbecoming only the secondgrateful for the work of NAACP leaders such as theNAACPStateConferencemeetingsandactionsin woman President in its history. late Pastor Jesse Brown Jr., the late Betty Jackson2021 under President Lytle.Mostnotably,LytleandtheNAACPColoradoRayeoftheColoradoSpringsBranch,thelateTo become a member of your local NAACP Unit, Springs Branch, along with the El Pomar Foundation,StateSecretaryRev.TammyGarrett-Williams,for- visit www.naacp.org/membership.mer President Rev. Benjamin Reynolds, NAACP State BODY OF CHRIST NEWS MARCH 2022 13'