FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT) – The Fort Wayne Chapter of the Indiana Black Expo will honor at least 15 local African Americans during its second annual Unsung Heroes banquet in March. It calls attention to those who are not in the limelight, yet serve as an inspiration to others. One of the honorees is Hideout 125 restaurant owner Sherman Bell.
“I grew up in poverty,” said Bell. “I was a scholarship student but I wasn’t patient. I decided after my freshman year in college to enter the drug trade and after a while it became an addiction for me. Just as much as people were using drugs I was literally addicted to selling drugs.”
Bell went from selling drugs in college to prison, to owning his own business in Fort Wayne. The former scholarship student sat down with me to talk about getting his life back on track.
“The DEA had a hand in helping me to stop,” said Bell. “So in 1995 I was indicted on federal drug charges. i did five years in a federal penitentiary. I was released in 2000 and that’s when the magic started to happen. I made the commitment when I was in there and said hey God, you get me out of this one and hey we’re going to do the right thing.”
Fast forward 24 years and now Bell and his wife own Hideout 125 restaurant at 10350 Coldwater Road. They’ve been in the location since 2017 and now they’re looking to expand.
“In 2021 me and my wife started KYB Holdings Properties and bought two and a half acres right outside our current location,” said Bell. “It’s going to be the home of the new Hideout. I call it Hideout 2.0. We break ground June 15th.”
Helping people break ground on homes and reduce crime and violence is something Lewis King and the Fort Wayne United Ten Point Coalition have been doing since 2018.
“I believe we’re making a powerful difference by planting seeds of hope,” said King. The Program Manager of the Fort Wayne United Ten Point Coalition says the group’s foot patrols have helped reduce crime and boost home ownership in Fort Wayne’s Oxford neighborhood in the inner city.
“We have helped multiple families with food,” said King. “We’ve helped them with resources such as utilities. We provide a presence by walking in the community and engaging them.”
For using their lives to engage and inspire others, the Fort Wayne Chapter of the Indiana Black Expo honors the Ten Point Coalition and Sherman Bell as Unsung Heroes. “I don’t know if I’m worthy of that title,” said Bell. “I’m very honored that someone would look at me like that.”
Fox 55 honors them as Community Champs. “I believe the men and women who have walked these streets in the winter and through hot days have done this tirelessly,” said King. “They never asked for any praise but to be honored for their work and the commitment they have is amazing.”
Tickets for the Unsung Heroes banquet hosted by the Fort Wayne Chapter of the Indiana Black Expo are still on sale. Click here for more information. The event will take place Saturday, March 9, 2024 at the Parkview Mirro Center at 10622 Parkview Plaza Drive in Fort Wayne.
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