Charles “Chuck” Hicks is the founder and director of the DC Black History (https://dcblackhistory.com/) Celebration Committee which celebrates black history year-round.  He is a community activist focusing on issues that directly affect the community. Hicks serves on several Martin Luther King Jr. committees providing guidance, leadership and support.  His work includes serving on the executive committee of the Martin Luther King Jr. DC Support Group, Inc.and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Award Committee. Hicks co-chaired the DC Host Committee for the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.  He was co-chair of the DC Host Committee for the opening of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. Hicks is also a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Hicks is also a member of the DC Commission on Aging and the newly appointed DC Commission on African American Affairs.  He also serves on the Commission on Black Men and Boys under the purview of the Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton. He is also a devout member and trustee at Greater New Hope Baptist Church in Ward 1. Hick co-hosts with Joni Eisenberg the “Heal DC” radio broadcast on WPFW 89.3 FM. His service to the community also included work as the coordinator of labor for the District of Columbia for the Million Man March in 1995. Hicks was also a member of the 50^th Anniversary of the March on Washington Committee. He is the president of the Robert “Bob” Hicks Foundation which advocates for human and civil rights. 

Hicks is also a proud member of the NAACP.  He is also well known for providing 35 years of service to the DCPublic Library’s Black Studies Center. Hicks is a supporter and advocate of the African American Civil War Memorial &Museum. He is also founder of Bread-for-the-Soul Toy & Book Party – an HIV and AIDS organization which provides toys and books for Christmas to children whose parents have HIV/AIDS and to children who are diagnosed with HIV.

He is the former president of the AFSME District Council 20 and is a current member of the retirement chapter.Hicks continues his work as a member of the DC Democratic State Committee and is a dedicated member of two organizations that advocate for statehood for the District of Columbia – Stand Up! for Democracy in DC (Free DC) and DC for Democracy. Hicks is a member of the Waterside Tenants Association where he advocates for tenants’ rights and information transparency.  He is widely recognized for his support for the arts and community programming. Hicks is also an active member of several study groups.



Chuck recently received the 2017 Community Cornerstone Award from DC Councilmember Anita Bonds.

Denise began in EMS in 1992, volunteering with New Canaan EMS from 1992-2008. In 2004, Denise began working as a Medical/ Surgical Assistant for a private Otolaryngology practice in Greenwich, Ct. She was there until 2012, when she began working at Danbury Hospital as a Medical Assistant in the Oncology department. In 2017, Denise, along with her then partner and now husband Peter, made the decision to retire and move to Canada where Peter was from, in order to spend time with his aging father. It was during her time in Canada that Denise began working with Provincial and National organizations for Peer Support.

https://www.imerforcolorado.com/

Laurel Imer is a Republican candidate in Colorado’s 7th Congressional District! In 2020 Laurel was hand-picked by President Donald J. Trump and his team to be his delegate to the Republican National Convention for Congressional District 7. In the last election cycle, Laurel ran for Colorado's House District 24 as the Republican Nominee against incumbent Monica Duran (D). Laurel has been a small business owner, worked in sales, marketing, and advertising, been a Teacher’s Aide and volunteer in private Christian education, volunteered for several years in the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW and is a grassroots political activist. Laurel served as Jefferson County Chair for the Donald Trump Campaign in 2016. Laurel was also picked by President Trump and his team to be one of Colorado's 9 Republican Presidential Electors at the Electoral College for the 2016 Presidential Election. Due to the loss of Colorado, she was never able to cast her vote at the Electoral College. Laurel was born and raised in Golden, Colorado, and has one son, Weston Imer, who is 18 years old. Laurel worked part-time as a Clinic Manager at a Pre-Employment solutions company that was forced to close due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. When not working Laurel home-schooled her son Weston who graduated in November of 2020. Laurel now works as an Administrative Assistant for a local financial firm in Lakewood, CO. When elected Laurel will work hard to align local and federal issues in education and school choice, immigration, infrastructure, and economic growth, capitalizing on the success of President Trump’s America First Policies.

Owner/Instructor of the School of Holistic Massage & Reflexology and was inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame on August 8, 2016.

I started in Massage and Reflexology industry at 35 years old. I was a single dad of 2 and worked a 12 hour shift in the printing industry working 4 days on 3 days off. I was burnt out. However, I knew my calling was to help people. I heard about reflexology and felt it was my calling. My wife Star, who is a graphic designer woke up one morning with a very stiff neck and started calling around to find a massage therapist. On her appointment she starting talking to the therapist and it turned out they were a brand new massage school that offered reflexology and massage classes. We really did not have the money for tuition, so she asked if they needed business materials? We were able to barter with her Graphic design skills and my printing skills to pay for the first the 10 week reflexology class. After that class I decided to take the Massage program, and we struck up the same deal. The owner of the school I attended saw leadership skills in me and asked me to teach part time and I loved it! While still working my printing job and teaching, I started my own business: "The Holistic Massage and Reflexology Center at a chiropractic office in Downers Grove. My space was literally the size of a closet. My business really started taking off, but I was not sure how I was going to be able to quit my dead end job. I had developed a very good clientele in a short time. Two of my very dedicated clients, believed in me so much, they became what I refer to as my "angel investors". This start up money enabled me to quit my printing job and start the real work of building my business and getting my name out there.

Anything worth while comes with a lot of hard work. I succesfully bulit my business through networking, pounding the pavement, and doing a lot of "free" massage at local events, high schools, non for profit organizations.

Through this hard work my business grew in leaps and bounds. A while later I wanted to share what I learned with others and it developed into SOHMAR, the School of Holistic Massage and Reflexology. That was over 20 years ago! I do still have a private practice since I love working one on one with my clients, but love teaching too!