[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E147-E148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       IN RECOGNITION OF THE ``OUR THREE WINNERS'' ENDOWMENT FUND

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 2018

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina.  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
memory and legacy of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-
Salha, whose lives were taken in a violent hate crime three years ago 
at their home in Chapel Hill.
  Deah was a 23-year-old student in the School of Dentistry at the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and had recently married 
Yusor, who was set to enroll in the School of Dentistry in the fall of 
2015. Yusor's sister, Razan, was a 19-year-old student of architecture 
at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
  Diligent in their studies, these promising young adults also 
demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, consistent with 
the tenets of their Muslim faith. Deah organized food drives and 
provided free dental supplies to local homeless and underserved 
communities. Razan utilized her artistic talent through selling 
portraits reflecting pacifism and tolerance, using proceeds to provide 
medical and humanitarian aid for children in the Middle East. Yusor, a 
leader in N.C. State's Muslim Student Association, traveled abroad to 
provide care for, and share the stories of, refugees displaced by war. 
In the months leading up to that devastating day, Deah, Yusor, and 
Razan were fundraising for the Project Refugee Smiles Dental Relief 
Mission to provide dental care to refugees from war-torn Syria.
  These three exemplary lives were extinguished on February 10, 2015 by 
the acts of an anti-Muslim extremist who had long menaced the 
neighborhood and maintained an arsenal of lethal weapons. This 
appalling act of violence devastated our community and served as a 
harsh reminder of the bigotry and hatred that too many still face.
  In the wake of the tragedy, classmates, friends, and family members 
came together to turn their grief into action by establishing the Our 
Three Winners Endowment Fund, a foundation to honor and continue the 
humanitarian efforts of Deah, Yusor, and Razan. The Foundation has 
provided grants to the annual Project Refugee Smiles Dental Relief 
Mission and scholarships for students who demonstrate values of 
academic excellence and community service.
  Prejudice and violence against Muslim Americans and other religious, 
ethnic, or racial minorities has no place in American society, yet many 
of our fellow citizens continue to experience harassment and 
discrimination every day. On February 10 of each year, the anniversary 
of the senseless hate crime that took the lives of Deah, Yusor, and 
Razan, the people of Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and other communities 
touched by their lives come together to commemorate their humanitarian 
legacy and rededicate ourselves to building bridges of understanding, 
acceptance, and community.

[[Page E148]]

  

                          ____________________