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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins the |
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citizens of Dallas in mourning the loss of Edna Belle Pemberton, |
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who died April 13, 2025, at the age of 81; and |
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WHEREAS, Edna was born in Chicago on March 27, 1944, as the |
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youngest of nine children; after losing her mother and growing up |
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in the foster care system from a young age, Edna was led to a life |
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of service, and she went on to commit much of her time, energy, |
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and talents as a tireless advocate for positive change, a voice |
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for her community, and a force for good; and |
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WHEREAS, Edna met the love of her life, the late DarNell |
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Pemberton, while attending church as a teenager in Chicago, and |
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they married on September 19, 1964; Edna and DarNell were blessed |
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with four daughters, and throughout more than four decades |
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together, they built a rewarding partnership founded on |
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boundless love and their dedication to serving their family and |
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community; they went on to adopt and help raise eight of her |
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nieces, nephews, and young relatives, and their family of 14 |
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resided in California before relocating to Dallas and settling in |
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the Oak Cliff neighborhood; and |
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WHEREAS, An exemplary citizen, Edna was respected for her |
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numerous accomplishments and for her work in addressing |
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inequities in southern Dallas; she began her career by working as |
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a stockroom employee at Kmart and advanced into management |
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positions, and she led various supply drives and community |
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initiatives through her role with the company; her positive |
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impact on the city and her fellow residents and neighbors |
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included her efforts to enact a youth curfew to improve safety |
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and crime, to extend bus lines for residents to access necessary |
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services, and to save and revitalize the Southwest Center Mall, |
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formerly the Red Bird Mall, in Dallas; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. P, as she was affectionately known to many, |
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was active in numerous local organizations, including the Dallas |
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Chapter NAACP, the Martin Luther King Center, and Camp Wisdom |
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Now; she was a founder of Positively Oak Cliff, a nonprofit |
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coalition of entrepreneurs and community leaders, and she served |
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as a voter registrar and precinct chair in her local precinct; |
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she was the recipient of numerous accolades, including several |
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Governors' awards for her contributions to her community, and she |
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was honored to serve as a torchbearer in Dallas ahead of the 1996 |
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Olympic Games in Atlanta; and |
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WHEREAS, A role model of compassion and resilience, Edna |
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was a friend to all and a mother-figure and mentor to many; she |
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practiced her faith in her daily life, and she was an active and |
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longtime member and community leader of Concord Missionary |
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Baptist Church; her passion for helping others and her dedication |
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to her Oak Cliff community made a lasting difference in the lives |
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of innumerable people in their times of need and who were |
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experiencing such challenges as natural disasters and financial |
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struggles; and |
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WHEREAS, Although Edna found immense fulfillment in her |
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role as a community volunteer, advocate, and activist, above all, |
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she cherished spending quality time together with those closest |
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to her; her unflagging support and love for her family set a |
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shining example for her children, who have gone on to serve as |
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educators, community leaders, and volunteers; she was a devoted |
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mother and grandmother and a revered figure in the Dallas |
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community, and she leaves behind an extraordinary legacy and |
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countless memories that will be treasured forever by her many |
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loved ones and by all who were privileged to share in her life; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th |
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Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to the bereaved |
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family of Edna Belle Pemberton; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for |
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her family as an expression of deepest sympathy from the Texas |
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Senate and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in |
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memory of Edna Pemberton. |