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The new president of the Troup County chapter of the NAACP says she is bringing a new vision to the organization.

Inetha Hatten, who previously served as vice president for two years, took over as the chapter’s new president last week. Previous president Mike Meredith stepped down.

“There are so many opportunities here to make a change and not many people who look like me stay here for that change to come to fruition,” Hatten said.

The new president is familiar to Troup County, as she works at Pathways and graduated from Callaway High School.

“I think we need a plethora of different visions, of different perspectives, of different voices, to unite to get the job done,” Hatten said.

The Troup chapter of the NAACP has recently held two press conferences related to the state of the Troup County School System and the LaGrange Police Department.

Glenn Dowell, education chair for the Troup NAACP, said Hatten has been the catalyst for more calls to the NAACP in recent months.

“We are here to empower who can’t empower themselves, to commit to those who have been under-committed by others, to utilize us to speak and show action for those who can’t, or for some reason do not,” Hatten said.

She said she wants to sit down with community leaders to introduce herself and to hear their perspective on things going on in Troup County.

“There is a new leadership, and I am willing to hear different views. That gives me a different perspective,” she said. “I might think one way and you may bring a perspective I don’t know about. It is imperative that we sit down and listen to each other. I want everybody to have a voice, and I definitely want the NAACP to have a voice.”

Hatten was asked about the shootings that have been all too frequent in Troup County in 2023, including many involving youth. She said young people and their parents need a voice and encouragement to speak up before something happens.

“I think when a person feels they don’t have anything to lose, that’s when there’s a big loss,” she said. “We have to give our children something to look forward to. Not just children on this side of the street or this side of the city.”

She was also asked about the recent dispute between councilmen Leon Childs and Nathan Gaskin, two prominent Black leaders in Troup County. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been called in to investigate the incident.

“If you are in a position of leadership and your emotions are not intact, then maybe you need to step down,” she said, clarifying that she was not officially asking either to step down.

Hatten said the organization will put a bigger emphasis on social media, including utilizing YouTube for interviews and updates, in upcoming weeks.