During the American Civil Rights Movement religious and political leaders paved the way for equality. One of those political leaders was former Mayor of Gary, Indiana; Ricard Gordon Hatcher. Mayor Hatcher fought systematic racism, economic oppression, and political shenanigans to establish Gary, Indiana as America's original "Chocolate City." However prosperity in Gary was not limited to Black-Americans only. During Mayor Hatcher's 20 year span as mayor Gary became a political, economic, and civic launching pad for all of the city's middle class citizens. Mayor Hatcher became the 1st Black mayor of a major city in the United States in 1967. The impact of Mayor Hatcher reached a national scale that is currently exhibited in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. This documentary details the ascension of a poor kid from segregated Michigan City, Indiana to national prominence. Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher was Black Power -- Gary Style.
—E. Dion Varnado, Ed.D.