If there was a way she could help, Carmelita Scott never said “no.”
And by contributing her time and talent in countless ways, from being a small business champion to uniting people and giving the unheard a voice, friends and loved ones say the dedicated local leader made the world a better place.
“(Scott) was EVERY woman and one of the most humble, yet smart, knowledgeable and relatable, people I’ve ever known,” friend Myya Robinson wrote in a Facebook tribute. “She was just a couple of years younger and may not have known just how much I admired her. The entire Mississippi Gulf Coast Community has suffered a great loss with this one.”
The shock and sadness Robinson felt were shared and expressed by many in the wake of Scott’s death on Feb. 17. The Biloxi resident and native leaves a legacy of advocacy, kindness and service. In addition to many friends, relatives and loved ones, Scott is survived by her husband of a decade, Brandon R. Scott, and her sons, Nicholas, Canaan J, Josiah C., and Jasiel B Scott.
“To know Carmelita is to know power,” her obituary states. “Small in package, but colossal in grit, determination, and resolve, she had a natural gift of educating and uplifting the community.”
A multi-preneur, Scott maintained C.J. Shaw the Brand since 2006. She had over 14 years’ experience in community development and personal finance, aiding hundreds of individuals and organizations in achieving their goals. By her own account, as stated on her website, cjshaw.com, she was a “lover of finance,” “lover of people,” “lover of words” and “lover of the Coast.”
Her many talents were recognized with numerous accolades and awards, including the Hope Enterprise Improving Lives Award; Job Corps Building Communities Award and the Biloxi NAACP Charlie Clay Community Service Award, as well as being named one of the “Top 10 Under 40” honorees of the One Coast awards and “One to Watch Influencer” during the 2020 Success Women’s Conference.
Adele Lyons, chief executive officer of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, knew Scott from her involvement with the Chamber as a member representing Woodforest National Bank. Scott was a dedicated Chamber ambassador, Lyons says — always seeking out small businesses, particularly minority small businesses, who needed help increasing their exposure.
“She had a job and a family, but she still found the motivation and energy to share with others,” Lyons says. “It was infectious, just like her smile and her laugh.”
What made Scott so special, according to Lyons, was her energy. Losing this valuable community leader, she adds, leaves a large void that will require a lot of support and commitment to fill.
“Also, Carmelita could spread sunshine just by walking in a room with her charisma and her way of making everyone feel welcome,” Lyons says. “To lose someone so young with so much talent and promise is a real tragedy.”
Honoring Scott on Facebook, her friend Shannon Vincent noted Scott’s unwavering work with the Biloxi NAACP, the Steps Coalition, The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Keesler Air Force Base, the Chamber and a number of nonprofit causes that needed her help.
“Her selfless love for all humanity will be missed,” Vincent wrote, “but should be carried on by each of us who had the pleasure of her encouraging words, her loving smile and that infectious positivity – oh, and the selfies with everyone before she left any event.”
The NAACP honored Scott’s “commitment to civil rights and her dedication to her community.” Project Believe, a nonprofit serving the Coast’s underprivileged communities with GED classes, after-school programs for children, a support group for women and immigration legal services, described her on social media as “one of our BIGGEST supporters — always informing us of opportunities and giving us ideas.”
“We know and believe that we have an angel in heaven now still watching over us,” the nonprofit said in a Facebook tribute. “Our hearts are sad, but heaven is rejoicing; thank God for allowing (Scott) to touch our lives. She will be missed.”
According to Alexis Williams with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Black-Owned Business Network, Scott was a major player in the diversification and representation of minority business recognition on the coast.
“She was head cheerleader and advisor to anyone wanting to start their own business,” Williams said in a Facebook post. “Carmelita was unapologetically proud to be a member of the MSGCBOB community.”
Scott also belonged to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, where she served as the economic development chair and participated in several committees. In a public statement, the group said Scott’s light “will continue to shine bright, as she shared it with others through her work in the Biloxi community and our chapter.”
In another Facebook post filled with praise and tinged with sadness, The Legacy Business League called Scott “one of a kind,” as well as “passionate, intentional, knowledgeable, thought provoking, innovative and determined.”
“She loved her community, loved patronizing minority businesses and was a drum major for real change,” according to the organization. “Thank you for leaving your imprint on our lives. Thank you for leaving your legacy.”