History Museum names ‘Brother Sage’ its 2023 African American Legacy Award winner

South Bend Tribune
·2 min read

History Museum names ‘Brother Sage’ its 2023 legacy award winner

Verge "Brother Sage" Gillam has been named the recipient of The History Museum's 2023 African American Legacy Award.
Verge "Brother Sage" Gillam has been named the recipient of The History Museum's 2023 African American Legacy Award.

SOUTH BEND — The History Museum announced April 18 that Verge “Brother Sage” Gillam is the recipient of its 2023 African American Legacy Award.

It will be awarded at the Juneteenth Luncheon, taking place in the museum’s Historic Oliver Gardens from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, at 808 W. Washington St.

Gillam’s long-standing interest in sharing his knowledge about African American history has impacted thousands. In 1990 in South Bend, he started a community-wide Kwanzaa celebration and the Black Man Think Tank.

A sought-after lecturer on African American history, he has given presentations about the Underground Railroad and other topics at area elementary and high schools as well as colleges, universities, museums, and numerous other forums.

Gillam served as the first social worker at the Tolsen Center in Elkhart, the executive director of the Urban League and the Equal Employment Opportunity officer for the Indiana Department of Transportation. He hosted “Providing Options” on WSBT radio and WSBT television and has mentored many young people through the years.

He graduated from a Historically Black College and attended economic development training at an Ivy League university.

Verge "Brother Sage" Gillam, left, and his wife, Charlotte Pfeiffer, lead the libation ceremony at 2022's Kwanzaa Celebration at the St. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend.
Verge "Brother Sage" Gillam, left, and his wife, Charlotte Pfeiffer, lead the libation ceremony at 2022's Kwanzaa Celebration at the St. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend.

Gillam is married to Charlotte Pfeifer, a community activist and a former South Bend Common Council member.

Both sides of his family came to Michigan via the Underground Railroad.

The African American Legacy Award is presented annually by The History Museum to celebrate the immeasurable contributions of members of the African American community in the St. Joseph River Valley, to honor the legacies and achievements of past generations, to shine a light on those in the present, and to influence efforts that will impact the future.

Tickets for the Juneteenth Luncheon are $60. Reservations are required.

For more information, call 574-235-9664 or visit historymuseumsb.org.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: African American Legacy Award goes to South Bend's Brother Sage