[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 27, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MS. PAM CHATMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 27, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant, Ms. Pam Chatman.
  For as long as Pam Chatman can remember, she's been coming in first. 
She was the first of 3 children born to parents in the heart of the 
poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta. She was the first of her siblings 
to graduate from college. She was the first African American Woman to 
steer a course through the chaos of a broadcast news career to achieve 
the position of News Director at WABG.
  But little did Pam know in 2006, when she became News Director, she 
was achieving yet another first: Mississippi's first-ever female 
African-American News Director, an honor she wears proudly.
  Recently the Tru TV network chronicled Pam's seemingly unlikely 
journey from poverty to power, which is its hit new reality series 
``Breaking Greenville''. Pam's starring role in that show underscores 
her passion, not just for her profession, but for the people who work 
for her as anchors, reporters and producers. Kids right out of college, 
who are hungry to learn the ropes of an often cut-throat career, find 
comfort in Pam's approach to leadership and management.
  Pam was raised up in Shaw, Mississippi in a small rural community 
outside of the city limits called ``Choctaw'' a dirt-poor town of about 
less than 2-thousand people that sits in the heart of Bolivar County. 
Her grandmother, Marie Fly, raised her, and while poverty pulled at 
every corner of their lives, Pam relishes her adolescent years, coming 
of age in the Deep South. From its rich farming heritage, to its lakes 
and rivers teeming with catfish, to its red-clay hillsides that give a 
hint of color to an otherwise difficult existence, the Mississippi 
Delta to this day holds Pam's heart.
  Pam graduated from Shaw high school in 1988 and enrolled in Rust 
College, one of Mississippi's oldest and most prestigious colleges for 
African-Americans.
  Pam pledged to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, the first 
inter-collegiate Greek-letter sorority established for Black colleges. 
Pam graduated from Rust College in 1994 with a degree in Broadcasting 
Mass Communication, and returned to the Delta, degree in hand, with her 
heart set on making a difference close to home. She landed her first 
television job at Greenville's WXVT where she worked as a Production 
Assistant and then later moved to the Newsroom. She eventually went to 
work for WXVT's competitor, WABG, where she worked her way up from 
Assignment Manager to ultimately News Director, a position she's held 
for 10 years.
  Her notoriety as Mississippi's first female African-American News 
Director also convinced the state legislators to dedicate a portion of 
Highway 61 in her honor and to proclaim January 18th as Pam Chatman 
Day.
  In addition to leading a winning news team, Pam is a tireless 
community volunteer and advocate for teens and young women. She's also 
a motivational speaker, teaching women of all ages to accept and 
appreciate their uniqueness within the human race. She especially has a 
big heart for women who have come from small rural communities and are 
victims of abuse and drugs.
  Yes, Pam Chatman is indeed a woman of firsts: the first to volunteer 
when there's a need; the first to offer comfort when someone is 
hurting; a first-class example of what a little faith and a lot of love 
can accomplish.
  Pam also has a Mentoring, Consulting and Training Organization; the 
organization believes that every person you meet is a Diamond in the 
Rough. The organization provides workshops to educate and empower teens 
to get an education; strive for success; and to let no one define their 
dreams or destiny. The organization provides food and clothing to needy 
families. Once a month Pam herself does random acts of kindness where 
she pays for people's groceries or their utility bill. Yes, she is a 
servant determined to impact everyone she meets in life with a smile or 
an act of kindness. The organization has a doll called the PChat Doll 
that has a curriculum that comes along with it to teach young girls to 
love the skin they're in as well to deter bullying. The focus of the 
curriculum is Character Education, Literacy and Parental Involvement.
  Pam does consultant work for the Mississippi Department of Education 
Federal 21-Century Program's after school projects. In addition, Pam is 
also an entrepreneur. Pam has a cosmetics and spa line to enhance women 
of color and beauty called ``Boss Lady PChatman'' which was developed 
to assist in healing the totality of a woman from her inner beauty to 
her outer beauty.
  Pam loves to help women break the chain of hurt and pain. So, she 
wrote a monologue gospel play entitled ``Lord Show Me How to Heal My 
Scars''. The play allows women from all walks of life to share their 
story through testimonials and songs.
  Pam is the daughter of Louise Henry and the late Joseph Henry and has 
three siblings: Joseph, Jr., III; Evelyn and special niece Karris 
Henry, which she is assisting her family in raising.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing an amazing 
News Director, Actor, Motivational Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur, 
Philanthropist who has been instrumental in magnifying strides of 
America's black history.

                          ____________________