Omar Fernandez Biography

Omar Fernandez Jr., Georgia leader for CCLR, is a first generation Cuban-American born in Miami, Florida on December 23, 1969. He is a product of immigrant parents. His father is Cuban-born and immigrated to Miami, Florida as a 17-year old boy leaving behind his mother and father and siblings. His father is the second-oldest of 4 – 3 boys and 1 girl. Omar’s mother was born in Miami, Florida in 1949 of Cuban-born parents. Her father graduated from Tulane University and started a business importing fruit and vegetables from Cuba to the United States. They traveled back and forth from Miami to Cuba until the Revolution in 1959 and settled in Miami Springs, Florida where she grew up. She is the third of 4 children – 3 girls and 1 boy.

Omar grew up and spent most of his life in Miami, Florida. He is the oldest of 3 children. He attended Catholic boy’s schools – Belen Jesuit for Junior High School and Christopher Columbus for Senior High School. Omar is married to Maria Victoria Baggett of Miami, Florida and they have 3 children – all boys. His wife Maria has a Cuban-born mother and a Birmingham, Alabama-born father who passed almost 6 years ago. They currently reside in Marietta, Georgia since May 2006.

Omar has had an interest in politics since he was a young boy. His uncle (mother’s side) was involved with Jack Kemp’s presidential bid in 1988 and also was a strong supporter of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in her original campaign for US Representative, FL. Omar worked with his uncle in supporting both of those campaigns.

Omar is fluent in Spanish and is hopeful that he will be able to visit a free Cuba with his father soon.