Bill Text: NY J02302 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourning the death of Chief Obailumi Ogunseye, distinguished citizen and devoted member of his community

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-24 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [J02302 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J02302-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 2302

BY: Senator PARKER

        MOURNING  the  death  of  Chief Obailumi Ogunseye,
        distinguished citizen  and  devoted  member  of  his
        community

  WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens  of  the  State  of  New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life  in  their  communities  and  this
great Empire State; and

  WHEREAS,  Chief  Obailumi  Ogunseye  of  Brooklyn, New York, died on
Sunday, November 19, 2023, at the age of 82; and

  WHEREAS, Irvin "Irv" Columbus Garrett was born  to  Leon  Adams  and
Lillie  Mae Garrett on December 25, 1940; he was primarily raised by his
grandmother, Dorothy Nancy Lee Jones, in North Carolina; and

  WHEREAS, Irvin C. Garrett's grandmother owned  and  managed  various
restaurants,  and  he  dutifully  helped  her  by  setting up tables and
cleaning the floors; when he was not  working  at  the  restaurants,  he
enjoyed  playing  baseball  with friends, earning the nickname "Reggie";
and

  WHEREAS, While in junior high  school,  Irvin  C.  Garrett's  mother
traveled  to  North Carolina to retrieve her son and return to Brooklyn,
New York, where she had relocated after her son's birth;  this  was  the
only time the young man saw his father; and

  WHEREAS,  Irvin C. Garrett attended Boys High School in Brooklyn; he
would later  tell  stories  about  watching  future  NBA  Hall  of  Fame
inductee, Connie Hawkins, playing basketball in the schoolyard; and

  WHEREAS,  Not the best student he could be, Irvin C. Garrett dropped
out of school and became involved in a gang; after he was  arrested  and
taken  to  the  Brooklyn  Detention  Center only once, he vowed he would
never find himself at such a low point again; this prompted him to  join
the United States Marine Corps in 1956; and

  WHEREAS, Irvin C. Garrett completed boot camp at Paris Island, South
Carolina;  he  was  deployed to the Philippines, Japan, and ports in the
Far East during the years leading to the Vietnam Conflict; and

  WHEREAS, Upon his return to the United  States  in  1960,  Irvin  C.
Garrett   became  involved  with  the  Black  Nationalist  Movement  and
acquainted with the Yorubas, a group led by Oseijeman Adelabu  Adefunmi;
this charismatic leader gave the new convert the name Obailumi Ogunseye;
and

  WHEREAS,   Obailumi   Ogunseye   learned  the  religious  practices,
language, customs, and culture of the Yoruba people from his new leader,
the father figure the young man had been missing all his life,  and  was
now  encouraged  to  cultivate his artistic talents, drumming and dance;
eventually, he acquired his first chieftaincy title as a member  of  the
Yoruba Temple; and


  WHEREAS,  In 1963, Obailumi Ogunseye was commissioned to establish a
Yoruba Temple in South Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania;  there  he  met  his
future  wife,  Laura  Fernandez, who accepted the new name Omowunmi upon
her conversion to the Yoruba religion; and

  WHEREAS, Obailumi Ogunseye  began  leading  religious  services  and
teaching  the  Yoruba language and culture in the first of three temples
he and Omowunmi would establish in Philadelphia; the couple were married
in January of 1965 and were blessed with the first of eight children  in
July  of  1966;  the  following  year,  they  were  initiated as Olorisa
(priests); and

  WHEREAS, In 1974, Obailumi Ogunseye obtained his  bachelor's  degree
from  Temple  University  and  completed his graduate studies at Antioch
College in 1977; like his wife, he became a public  school  teacher;  he
taught  history  at  Jackson Elementary School and John P. Turner Middle
School for the majority of his career; and

  WHEREAS,  In  1975,  Obailumi  Ogunseye  and  Omowunmi,   with   the
assistance  of  others, founded the Odunde Afrikan Street Festival which
occurs every June in Philadelphia; and

  WHEREAS, Throughout the decades,  Obailumi  Ogunseye  has  performed
numerous  weddings,  funerals,  baby naming ceremonies, divinations, and
spiritual  work  for  thousands  of  people  in   the   United   States;
additionally, he has lectured at many colleges and universities; and

  WHEREAS,  In  1996,  Obailumi  Ogunseye  journeyed  to Nigeria, West
Africa, where he was initiated as Babalawo (Father of the Secrets); upon
his return to the United States, he continued to spread knowledge of the
traditional African religion to Oregon and Washington on the West Coast;
and

  WHEREAS, Obailumi Ogunseye is survived by  his  eight  children,  22
grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and 18 spiritual/god children;
he  helped  countless other people as a friend, neighbor, schoolteacher,
husband, father, priest of Sango,  and  Babalawo;  although  he  had  no
father in his life, he was a father figure to many others throughout the
country and the world; and

  WHEREAS,  Armed  with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Obailumi Ogunseye leaves behind  a  legacy  that  will  long
endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all
he served and befriended; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Chief Obailumi Ogunseye and to  express  its  deepest
condolences to his family; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Chief Obailumi Ogunseye.