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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE OF PASTOR RON TAYLOR, COMMUNITY ADVOCATE AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE UNITED CONGRESS OF COMMUNITY AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
WHEREAS, WHEREAS, A proud South Sider, Ronnie Taylor, affectionately known as "Pastor Ron," was born in Chicago on July 31, 1957 and dedicated his life to ministry and earnest public service; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Ron was the youngest of seven children and graduated from Farragut Career Academy in Chicago in 1975; and
WHEREAS, Drawn to religious life as a teenager, Pastor Ron was ordained a minister at Hope Deliverance Tabernacle, the same place where he met his future wife; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Ron married Johnnie May Jewett in 1974 and together they have a daughter, Rebecca, and granddaughter, Harmony; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Ron began his career at companies including Sears Roebuck and Co., Wells Manufacturing Co. and RR Donnelly's and Sons Printing Co., where he worked for 25 years until he retired to take on ministry full time; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the years, Pastor Ron embodied his commitment to faith and advocacy by serving on the Board of Trustees of Truth Triumphant Ministry, founding the Disciples for Christ Outreach Ministries, and serving on the Board of Directors, among other positions, for Target Area Development Corporation; and
WHEREAS, One of Pastor Ron's most notable accomplishments was the 2005 co-founding of the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), a coalition of revered Chicago based cross-racial and faith-based social justice advocates, ultimately becoming its Executive Director in 2013; and
WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Pastor Ron, UCCRO has tirelessly advocated for policies that prioritize justice and opportunity for communities of color and coordinates a Racial Equity Training that addresses structural racism; and
WHEREAS, UCCRO advocates for addressing systemic issues and racial inequities that lead to the mass criminalization of...
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