The Inaugural Bishop Omar Jahwar Foundation Awards Gala Will Honor DFW Community Leaders and Raise Money to Continue the Legacy of Community Impact
The family and board of directors are pleased to announce the launch of the Bishop Omar Jahwar Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization to continue the legacy of work started by internationally renowned community activist, businessman, and faith leader, Bishop Omar Jahwar to provide solutions around the country for businesses, educational institutions and school districts, nonprofit organizations, congregations, and communities. The inaugural Bishop Omar Jahwar Foundation “Life to Legacy” Awards Gala will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. in the South Side Ballroom at Gilley’s Dallas, 1135 Botham Jean Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75215. Tickets and sponsorships are available at https://bojf.zohobackstage.com/LifetoLegacyGala#/tickets?lang=en.
The Life to Legacy Gala will honor several high-profile North Texas leaders who have exemplified the high-five model that Bishop Jahwar employed in his community impact including social interaction, social services, faith-based approaches, entrepreneurial empowerment, and business and social networking. Honorees include Curtis King, founder of The Black Academy of Arts & Letters, Richard Miles, founder and CEO of Miles of Freedom, and the late Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. Alice Marie Johnson will help present the awards while Byron Sanders, president and CEO of Big Thought will be the keynote speaker. The gala will include a VIP reception, silent auction, a full-course dinner with dessert, and live entertainment.
The Bishop Omar Jahwar Foundation was launched in January 2024 to continue the prominent work Bishop Jahwar led in the Dallas community and nationwide for more than two decades. Bishop Jahwar, a Dallas native, was most notably known for the work he did to eradicate violence.
More than twenty-four years ago, Bishop Omar became the first state appointed gang specialist in Texas. In this role, he negotiated peace terms between incarcerated rival gang members. In 2000, he made history as he brought more than 400 gang members together to negotiate the first peace treaty between the Blood and Crip gangs in Dallas.
As founder of the Urban Specialists, he was widely known all over the world for his results-driven approach to interrupting senseless violence and bringing about positive change in communities with increased crime and high poverty rates. Not only did he create and launch programs that decreased crime, violence and poverty in Dallas, but he also developed and implemented programs, CourseCon and Heal America, where he partnered with businesses and celebrities to impact under resourced communities around the country.
Since he was a teen, Bishop Omar worked diligently to curb the violence plaguing urban communities and became a prominent leader within of the urban culture. He inspired and provided solutions around the country for businesses, educational institutions and school districts, nonprofit organizations, congregations, and communities.
Now with the Bishop Omar Jahwar Foundation, led by his son, Omar Jahwar, II as president and chief executive officer, plans to continue the impactful work his father started.
“As the foundation goes in a new direction, we will focus on equitable education, food insecurities, affordable housing, creating more black business owners in the community and empowering them, environmental sustainability, and women’s rights,” said Omar Jahwar, II, president and CEO of the Bishop Omar Jahwar Foundation. “I became a ‘girl dad’ in 2017 which made me want to ensure that my daughters’ future was equipped with fair and equal rights. I am who I am today because of the women that raised my father and I.”
In addition to the gala awards, The Bishop Omar Jahwar Foundation has plans to invest and partner with social entrepreneurs that are aligned with their mission and goals. For example, they have partnered with Bonton Farms and Wal-Mart to bring transformative programs to the citizens of North Texas. Other partnerships, which will focus on commercial real estate development, housing projects and a culture museum in Dallas, will be announced in the near future.
“We are looking forward to building partnerships with other change makers to create massive benefits for the communities we serve,” continued Jahwar.
For more information, visit https://bojf.org.
