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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Reginald Wayne Moore of Houston passed away on July |
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3, 2020, at the age of 60, leaving his loved ones and his many |
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colleagues and admirers to reflect on his unwavering dedication to |
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the pursuit of social justice and racial healing; and |
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WHEREAS, A native of Houston, Reginald Moore was the son of |
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Melvin Moore Roberts and Jerline Lee Moore and the brother of four |
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siblings, Anthony, Sonya, Bridgette, and Cassandra; in 1978, he |
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graduated from Jack Yates High School, where he was a talented |
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member of the football team, and he went on to continue his studies |
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at Northwestern State University of Louisiana; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Moore served as a state correctional officer |
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from 1985 to 1988 and also worked for a time as a longshoreman and a |
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real estate agent and broker; while a guard at the Jester State |
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Prison Farm outside of Sugar Land, he began researching the history |
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of convict leasing, a form of forced labor that was used to exploit |
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Black inmates after the abolishment of slavery; following his |
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retirement, he dedicated himself full-time to the project, but he |
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had little success in bringing attention to the brutality of the |
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system until 2018, when a mass unmarked grave containing the |
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remains of 95 African American convict laborers was unearthed on |
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the grounds of a former state prison farm in Fort Bend County; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Moore's decades-long research efforts were |
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validated by the discovery of the so-called "Sugar Land 95," which |
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made headlines internationally; that same year, he founded the |
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Convict Leasing and Labor Project, and he continued to collaborate |
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and share his findings with other historians and researchers; one |
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of his proudest achievements was his persuasive testimony before |
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the Texas Board of Education that led to the approval of the state's |
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first African American studies course as a high school elective; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, A devoted husband and father, Mr. Moore was blessed |
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with the love and support of his wife of 21 years, Marilyn Collins |
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Moore, and he cherished his five children, Reginald Jeremy, El |
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Xemenes Love, Tirhakah Tarique Love, Mario Hinkle, and Rhae Hinkle, |
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as well as his nieces and nephews; and |
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WHEREAS, Through his uncompromising quest for the truth, |
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Reginald Moore played a vital role in addressing the insidious |
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legacy of convict leasing and restoring dignity to its victims, and |
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his memory will forever be treasured by the many people whose lives |
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he touched; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Reginald Wayne Moore |
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and extend deepest sympathy to all those who mourn his passing; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Reginald |
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Moore. |