[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 24, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S246-S247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO PASTOR CHRIS HARRIS

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, during this week when we remember the 
staggering number of loved ones we have lost to gun violence, I want to 
acknowledge a spiritual and community leader who is working to end the 
terrible cycle of gun violence in Chicago.
  Pastor Chris Harris is pastor of Bright Star Church in Chicago's 
storied Bronzeville neighborhood and senior pastor of St. James Church 
in the City's historic Roseland-West Pullman community. He is a leader 
of creative vision, compassion, and action. And when it comes to ending 
gun violence, Pastor Harris has no time for hand-wringing or finger-
pointing or political scapegoating.
  One of his frequent admonitions is: ``Say nothing about violence and 
trauma until you do something about violence and trauma.'' As one of 
the most passionate and charismatic leaders in our community, both his 
words and his actions have helped to turn lives around. Fifteen years 
ago, Pastor Harris founded a nonprofit organization called Bright Star 
Community Outreach.
  Its purpose is not simply to help heal victims of gun violence, but 
to prevent gun violence by treating its deep and often complex causes, 
including poverty, lack of opportunity, despair, and trauma. Bright 
Star Community Outreach does this by offering a myriad of services, 
from afterschool programs to job counseling, financial literacy 
classes, and workshops on homebuying and

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entrepreneurship. As Pastor Harris often says, ``The best violence 
prevention program is access to good schools and good jobs,'' the kinds 
of jobs you can raise a family on.
  Bright Star also offers counseling and other forms of support to help 
heal from the trauma that is often at the root--not only of gun 
violence but also addiction and so many other deadly ills. And he has 
been at the forefront of this field, being involved in Federal grants 
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  Over the years, Bright Star Community Outreach has grown from Pastor 
Harris and a few volunteers to now 115 employees. They are working 
directly with Chicago Public School students to understand their needs 
and experiences. I have visited their programs many times, and I am 
always inspired by the work they do.
  And when I set out to introduce legislation to address the role that 
trauma plays in fueling our cycle of violence, Pastor Harris was one of 
my first calls. His guidance helped shape the legislation I have worked 
on for nearly a decade, parts of which have become law and are funding 
school mental health efforts in Chicago.
  Recently, Pastor Harris decided to step back as executive director. 
He will remain CEO of BSCO, and he will have a bit more time to focus 
more on his many other duties. The new executive director of Bright 
Star Community Outreach is LaKreisha Kindred. She is a lifelong 
Chicagoan with a background in the financial industry--and a member of 
the famed Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. I wish her well. And I want to 
say to my friend Pastor Chris Harris, thank you for your unflagging 
efforts to save lives and bring new hope to the city of Chicago.

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