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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The city of Dallas lost a dynamic and compassionate |
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| 6 | 7 | | community leader with the death of Bishop Omar Jahwar on March 11, |
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| 7 | 8 | | 2021, at the age of 47; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Omar Jahwar was born on April 3, 1973, to Larry and |
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| 9 | 10 | | Rosetta Jefferson, and he grew up in the Oak Cliff neighborhood with |
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| 10 | 11 | | four siblings, Leon, Roman, Larry, and Fayth; from an early age, he |
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| 11 | 12 | | was an avid reader and a gifted musician, and he attended Lancaster |
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| 12 | 13 | | High School, where he was the first Black student body president; |
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| 13 | 14 | | after narrowly avoiding a prison sentence as a troubled teenager, |
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| 14 | 15 | | he committed himself at the age of 17 to helping other young people, |
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| 15 | 16 | | volunteering to conduct intervention sessions with gang members at |
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| 16 | 17 | | Gainesville State School; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, In 1997, Bishop Jahwar was honored at the White |
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| 18 | 19 | | House for his efforts in Gainesville and became the youngest person |
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| 19 | 20 | | ever to win the national Achievement Against the Odds award from the |
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| 20 | 21 | | Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, and the following year, he |
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| 21 | 22 | | founded the nonprofit group Urban Specialists, which works to |
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| 22 | 23 | | eliminate urban violence; in 2000, he negotiated a peace treaty |
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| 23 | 24 | | between the Blood and Crip gangs in Dallas, and in 2002, he traveled |
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| 24 | 25 | | to Russia to consult about gang violence there; in 2019, Urban |
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| 25 | 26 | | Specialists launched the OGU program, which trains former gang |
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| 26 | 27 | | leaders to mentor at-risk youth, and that same year, Bishop Jahwar |
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| 27 | 28 | | embarked upon the national Heal America Tour, which has reached |
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| 28 | 29 | | 70,000 people in cities across America; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, A man of deep religious faith, Bishop Jahwar was |
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| 30 | 31 | | presiding bishop of the Kingdom Covenant of Churches and senior |
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| 31 | 32 | | pastor of Kingdom WAR Legacy Church in South Dallas; in 2016, he was |
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| 32 | 33 | | a guest of Speaker of the House Paul Ryan at the State of the Union |
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| 33 | 34 | | Address, and the following year, Urban Specialists was recognized |
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| 34 | 35 | | with the International Humanitarian Award in Dallas; in 2019, |
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| 35 | 36 | | Bishop Jahwar received the Rise and Shine Award from WFAA, the |
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| 36 | 37 | | Dallas ABC news affiliate; and |
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| 37 | 38 | | WHEREAS, Family was paramount to Bishop Jahwar, and he was a |
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| 38 | 39 | | loving husband to his wife, Anita, and the proud father of four |
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| 39 | 40 | | children, Omar, Tabia, Omni, and Anaya; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, Omar Jahwar lived a full and generous life devoted |
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| 41 | 42 | | to his family, his community, and his faith, and his legacy of |
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| 42 | 43 | | leadership and his commitment to justice and nonviolence will |
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| 43 | 44 | | continue to inspire all those who were fortunate enough to know him; |
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| 44 | 45 | | now, therefore, be it |
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| 45 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 46 | 47 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Bishop Omar Jahwar |
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| 47 | 48 | | and extend heartfelt sympathy to his family, his congregation, and |
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| 48 | 49 | | his many friends and colleagues; and, be it further |
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| 49 | 50 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 50 | 51 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 51 | 52 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bishop Omar |
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| 52 | 53 | | Jahwar. |
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