Last
night, these three beautiful souls were senselessly stripped of their lives by a man who has been outspoken
about his hatred toward Islam and other religions. The news will surely reduce them to numbers, stats and
titles, but they have names. And their lives mattered.
Deah
Barakat (23), his wife of 1 month Yusor Abu-Salha (21) and her sister Razan Abu-Salha (19) were outstanding
individuals and leaders in their communities and beyond. The world has lost 3 beautiful souls and my heart aches
for their families and loved ones. Please keep them in your prayers and push their names and what they stood for
into the spotlight, because their stories matter. And they always will.
Our Three Winners Foundation (Unaffiliated)
Deah Barakat was
23 years old. He was a second year student in the UNC Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. He was an avid
sports fan and loved playing basketball. He married his wife Yusor just weeks ago.
Deah Barakat was
an outstanding, kind and giving community leader. One of his last posts on Facebook discussed a night
they spent handing out free food and dental supplies to the homeless around Durham, NC. He was currently
fundraising for a trip to Turkey for he and 10 UNC faculty and dentists to provide free dental aid to
Syrian refugees. He has well surpassed his goal of $20k.
And just like
Martin Luther King Jr., Deah had a dream "to have a unified and structured community. Have a voice in
our society and support the youth with their projects." Honor Deah and his family by shedding light on
who he was and what he stood for.
Yusor Abu-Salha
was 21 years old. She recently graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in human
biology and was an avid Wolfpack fan. She recently was accepted into the UNC Chapel Hill school of
dentistry and was set to begin her career in dentistry in the fall, alongside her husband of less than
two months, Deah.
Yusor was a
devoted community leader and volunteered often both locally and abroad. Recently, she went on a trip to
Turkey to provide free dental work for Syrian refugees and posted this remarkably special & moving
moment from her trip.
Razan Abu-Salha
was 19 years old. She loved the arts and was an Architecture & Environmental Design student at North
Carolina State University. Like her sister and brother-in-law, Razan was an avid Wolfpack fan and showed
great pride in her school.
Razan's eye for
creativity was unique and unmatched. She often shared her pieces on her various social media accounts
and had a blog dedicated to showcasing her phenomenal work. She was recently recognized by NCSU for one
of her creations. She was also an incredible photographer, sharing her perfectly captured moments on
Instagram. Razan was humorous, witty and such a free spirit. She had a heart for organizational work and
volunteered often in the community with her sister and loved ones.
