Rev. Crystal Bates is a minister and activist for justice! She is the president of the Tri-Cities NAACP Branch. Chaplain Bates is a first-generation college graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics, with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Texas in Arlington. In 2005, she was recognized by the university as the “9th African American female” to obtain this degree. She obtained her Associate of Science in Computer Science from Kilgore College in 2000. A team player and born leader, she has spent almost 25 years as a part of the ministerial team at Friendship-West Baptist Church.
