Bill Text: TX HR451 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Bishop Omar Jahwar of Dallas.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2021-04-07 - Reported enrolled [HR451 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR451-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 451 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The city of Dallas lost a dynamic and compassionate | ||
| community leader with the death of Bishop Omar Jahwar on March 11, | ||
| 2021, at the age of 47; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Omar Jahwar was born on April 3, 1973, to Larry and | ||
| Rosetta Jefferson, and he grew up in the Oak Cliff neighborhood with | ||
| four siblings, Leon, Roman, Larry, and Fayth; from an early age, he | ||
| was an avid reader and a gifted musician, and he attended Lancaster | ||
| High School, where he was the first Black student body president; | ||
| after narrowly avoiding a prison sentence as a troubled teenager, | ||
| he committed himself at the age of 17 to helping other young people, | ||
| volunteering to conduct intervention sessions with gang members at | ||
| Gainesville State School; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1997, Bishop Jahwar was honored at the White | ||
| House for his efforts in Gainesville and became the youngest person | ||
| ever to win the national Achievement Against the Odds award from the | ||
| Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, and the following year, he | ||
| founded the nonprofit group Urban Specialists, which works to | ||
| eliminate urban violence; in 2000, he negotiated a peace treaty | ||
| between the Blood and Crip gangs in Dallas, and in 2002, he traveled | ||
| to Russia to consult about gang violence there; in 2019, Urban | ||
| Specialists launched the OGU program, which trains former gang | ||
| leaders to mentor at-risk youth, and that same year, Bishop Jahwar | ||
| embarked upon the national Heal America Tour, which has reached | ||
| 70,000 people in cities across America; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A man of deep religious faith, Bishop Jahwar was | ||
| presiding bishop of the Kingdom Covenant of Churches and senior | ||
| pastor of Kingdom WAR Legacy Church in South Dallas; in 2016, he was | ||
| a guest of Speaker of the House Paul Ryan at the State of the Union | ||
| Address, and the following year, Urban Specialists was recognized | ||
| with the International Humanitarian Award in Dallas; in 2019, | ||
| Bishop Jahwar received the Rise and Shine Award from WFAA, the | ||
| Dallas ABC news affiliate; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Family was paramount to Bishop Jahwar, and he was a | ||
| loving husband to his wife, Anita, and the proud father of four | ||
| children, Omar, Tabia, Omni, and Anaya; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Omar Jahwar lived a full and generous life devoted | ||
| to his family, his community, and his faith, and his legacy of | ||
| leadership and his commitment to justice and nonviolence will | ||
| continue to inspire all those who were fortunate enough to know him; | ||
| now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Bishop Omar Jahwar | ||
| and extend heartfelt sympathy to his family, his congregation, and | ||
| his many friends and colleagues; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of | ||
| Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bishop Omar | ||
| Jahwar. | ||
| Sherman, Sr. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 451 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on April 1, 2021. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
