Three distinguished members of the 100 were honored with Drum Major for Community Service Awards at the Jan. 18 virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in South Bend.
Magistrate Andre Gammage, Dr. Vincent Henderson, and Fire Chief Carl Buchanon were recognized for their contributions over the last year to health, safety and justice in the community.
Magistrate Gammage was cited for leading an initiative to facilitate expungement of their records for members of the community who had fulfilled the terms of their sentences. These expungement clinics allowed several hundred citizens to have their records erased and enjoy fuller access to public services and normal lives.
Dr. Henderson, president at Beacon Medical Group, was cited for mobilizing the people and resources of the Beacon organization to meet the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic. His leadership allowed the area to meet the crisis head-on; he now is facilitating vaccinations to stem the tide of COVID.
Chief Buchanon, appointed to head the South Bend Fire Department last year by Mayor James Mueller, led an essential public agency in responding to the COVID crisis and to the medical challenges created by an uptick last year in violence in South Bend.
The 100 Black Men of Greater South Bend are pleased to have these three exemplary men as members—and to live in the community they help to lead.