Black Wall Street Chamber president found dead in her home, husband also dies

Mildred Europa Taylor July 07, 2022
Sherry Gamble Smith was the president and CEO of the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce. Photo: Facebook

The police in Oklahoma are investigating the deaths of Sherry Gamble Smith, the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, and her husband.

Officers found Smith dead and her husband, Martin, injured inside their Bixby home near 107th and Mingo around 8 a.m. after someone inside called 911, Fox Business reported. Martin later died at a hospital.

Seth Adcock of the Bixby Police Department told The Independent the incident “appears to be domestic in nature but the investigation is still underway to determine the timeline and what lead [sic] to this tragedy.”

Smith has been the president and CEO of the Black Wall Street Chamber since it was created in 2018. The Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce is “a professional organization created to educate, create, and inspire economic vitality in the African American and North Tulsa community,” it says on its Facebook page.

Before leading Black Wall Street Chamber, Smith worked for the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce.

Phil Armstrong, interim executive director of the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center, described Smith as “an incredible person that constantly thought about putting others before herself.”

“She started an organization for women in business called Women Empowering Nations, that literally was a network for women that wanted to start their own businesses, and to give them inspiration and encouragement,” Armstrong told The Daily Beast. “She has also been the driving force behind the Juneteenth festival in Tulsa, as it has built up year after year.”

Last Edited by:Mildred Europa Taylor Updated: July 8, 2022

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