McGrady's visit to Darfur

Saado · Feb 5, 2009

ESPN Truehoop said:

BASKETBALL, WAR, AND HELPING KIDS IN AFRICA
by Tracy McGrady and John Prendergast

Sometimes when we hear about war and famine in Africa, our instinct is to turn away. Maybe it is too much. Maybe we have our own problems or think the problems in America need to be solved first.

We want to tell you that there are solutions to the worst problems in Africa, they don't need to be that expensive, and there is a way we can all participate in the solution.

We traveled together to refugee camps deep in the heart of Africa. We met people who were fleeing the civil war in Darfur and who had trekked for hundreds of miles to the camps across the border in Chad.

We heard stories of unimaginable suffering, of women who had been raped by soldiers, of children who had been thrown into fires. That is the human toll of one of the world's deadliest wars. In order to maintain absolute power, the Sudanese government has targeted non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur for destruction. If that sounds unimaginable, let one of the people we met on our trip help you understand better what we mean.

We met a young man named Isaac, sitting on a mat in a humble community center in one of the camps we visited. Isaac happens to be from one of the non-Arab ethnic groups the government of Sudan has targeted for extinction. We listened closely to his story to comprehend why a government would try to destroy a whole group of people based on their ethnic identity.

Up until late 2003, Isaac was a student in a high school in West Darfur. His village wasn't wealthy, but his family lived well, growing all kinds of crops, nurturing large orchards of fruit trees, and raising goats and a few cows. He had heard about some distant fighting involving rebel groups, but he was too focused on his schooling to pay much attention.

But suddenly one December morning, everything changed.

Isaac had just left a wake at his mosque -- nearly everyone is Muslim in Darfur -- when his village came under attack. The Sudanese government and its Janjaweed ("Devils on horseback") militia allies, Darfur's version of the Ku Klux Klan, blew into town, hunting all the males in the village, no matter what their age. At least 150 men and boys were killed that morning, including 42 children, the village was looted, and most of the houses were burned to the ground. Isaac lost two uncles, two aunts, and two brothers.Tracy McGrady

Scared and devastated, the survivors hid in the orchards outside the village. For the next two months, the Janjaweed scouted out their locations and warned them, "If you don't want to turn to ashes, you better leave this place." But for Isaac and his neighbors, "this place" was their home, and they didn't want to leave.

Two months later, however, the Janjaweed -- backed by government forces -- attacked again. Many more villagers were killed. But this time, many of the women who were trying to hide were raped.

Isaac and his surviving neighbors trekked for three months before they finally found their way to the safety of the refugee camp in Chad. There we found him, three years later, trying to make sense of his ordeal.

He told us that the government of Sudan had decided to destroy the communities like his from which rebels were being recruited, even though no rebels lived in his village. And he said the Janjaweed want their land, so they have to get rid of the people on it. This is why there is an alliance between the government and the Janjaweed, in order to destroy the non-Arab communities of Darfur.

We are just two guys, so alone it is probably true that we can't do much. But we are not alone. When we went down to Auburndale High School (Tracy's high school near Orlando), we found hundreds of students who wanted to get involved with us in reaching out to the people of Darfur. So we decided to find a way to link students here in the U.S. with young Darfurians who want to go to school.

To do this, we created the Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program. It creates connections between schools in the U.S. with schools in the Darfur refugee camps, with the ultimate objective of creating a quality education for every young refugee from Darfur. Players from around the NBA are pitching in, as is the United Nations and the movie company Participant Media.

We don't need to look away when we hear about Darfur. There is something tangible we can do that can provide an education to thousands of young people in Darfur at the same time as it enriches the lives and widens the horizens of young people here in the U.S. We can change the world, as our new president says. With the Darfur Dream Team, we're going to do it one student at a time.

Tracy McGrady plays for the Houston Rockets and John Prendergast works for the Enough Project (www.enoughproject.org). They are recruiting schools, NBA players, and interested individuals for the Darfur Dream Team (www.darfurdreamteam.org). Photos by Josh Rothstein and Brian Jackson.
Click to expand...

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-38-131/Tracy-McGrady-on-Darfur.html

Good to see more exposure about this other side of TMac. There's also a video at the link.

tinman · Feb 5, 2009

Saado said:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-38-131/Tracy-McGrady-on-Darfur.html

Good to see more exposure about this other side of TMac. There's also a video at the link.
Click to expand...

it's been posted here before, but good story.

hkcosser · Feb 5, 2009

Goodness and accomplishments ,you choose?

DaDakota · Feb 5, 2009

I just wish he would visit the NBA Lane more often.

DD

Coob5 · Feb 5, 2009

DaDakota said:

I just wish he would visit the NBA Lane more often.

DD
Click to expand...

Dude that does not belong in this thread. Instead of criticizing the guy about his play on the court, you should praise him for his off the court activism. Keep up the good work in representing the NBA and the Houston Rockets in a good light.

DaDakota · Feb 5, 2009

Coob5 said:

Dude that does not belong in this thread. Instead of criticizing the guy about his play on the court, you should praise him for his off the court activism. Keep up the good work in representing the NBA and the Houston Rockets in a good light.
Click to expand...

Oh, come on...it was meant as a joke....lighten up Leslie !

DD

hkcosser · Feb 5, 2009

Coob5 said:

Dude that does not belong in this thread. Instead of criticizing the guy about his play on the court, you should praise him for his off the court activism. Keep up the good work in representing the NBA and the Houston Rockets in a good light.
Click to expand...

Perhaps he has in the search for a higher salary

rocket_88 · Feb 5, 2009

DaDakota said:

I just wish he would visit the NBA Lane more often.

DD
Click to expand...

THAT MAKE SENSE. 101% AGREE.

hkcosser · Feb 5, 2009

When I can to new thread
I can give you more Chinese rockets fans point of view

eyhab27 · Feb 5, 2009

i have to admit, tmac really impressed me with this initiative. its really easy to talk the talk, but he went out to Darfur and is trying to make a difference.

its easy to just write a check, but to go out and try to feel what these people are feeling is another level giving.

props tmac

Big MAK · Feb 5, 2009

hkcosser said:

When I can to new thread
I can give you more Chinese rockets fans point of view
Click to expand...

Are you just copy/pasting the same comment in every thread to increase your posts? Ban this guy please.

Post#7 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=162033

Omer · Feb 5, 2009

You guys should watch the short video about it, it'll make you think twice before posting some of the stuff ya'll do.

<object width="440" height="361">
<param name="movie" value="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3864019"/>
<param name="wmode" value="transparent"/>
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/>
<embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3864019" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed>
</object>

matac3 · Feb 5, 2009

Could you tell Tracy to come back because his twin sucks right now

rockability71 · Feb 5, 2009

hkcosser said:

When I can to new thread
I can give you more Chinese rockets fans point of view
Click to expand...

You have tried too hard to make other people feel you are annoying. Only people with a peanut-sized brain would believe you are really a Chinese. You are just out here to make the Chinese fans look bad.

henGoOink · Feb 5, 2009

tmac!

hkcosser · Feb 5, 2009

rockability71 said:

You have tried too hard to make other people feel you are annoying. Only people with a peanut-sized brain would believe you are really a Chinese. You are just out here to make the Chinese fans look bad.
Click to expand...

I sincerely hope you can forgive,My English is very poor
This may lead to the expression I do not have I expressed

rockability71 · Feb 5, 2009

hkcosser said:

I sincerely hope you can forgive,My English is very poor
This may lead to the expression I do not have I expressed
Click to expand...

Stop replying to my post. I don't talk to morons. Once again, whoever believes that you are really Chinese is dumber than a sack of hammers.

rockability71 · Feb 5, 2009

hkcosser said:

I sincerely hope you can forgive,My English is very poor
This may lead to the expression I do not have I expressed
Click to expand...

One more think. You post in the office hours here which is the sleeping time in China. So do you have a weird life style or what? Do you sleep in daytime and go on internet all night long? Stop pretending that you are from China. Only a fool would believe you.

DudeWah · Feb 5, 2009

rockability71 said:

Stop replying to my post. I don't talk to morons. Once again, whoever believes that you are really Chinese is dumber than a sack of hammers.
Click to expand...

<br>
Dude, what's your problem?
He hasn't done anything wrong..

Even if he isn't Chinese, he hasn't said anything bad, so lay off
You're the one coming across as the douche..

DudeWah · Feb 5, 2009

Oh and, yup, twas a great story..
Touching really
<br>
LoL at T-Mac with the stunna shades and the jacket at the end though

Forums

McGrady's visit to Darfur

Saado Member

tinman Contributing Member
Supporting Member

hkcosser Member

DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

Coob5 Member

DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

hkcosser Member

rocket_88 Member

hkcosser Member

eyhab27 Contributing Member

Big MAK Member

Omer Member

matac3 Member

rockability71 Member

henGoOink Member

hkcosser Member

rockability71 Member

rockability71 Member

DudeWah Member

DudeWah Member

Share This Page

About ClutchFans

Rockets Content

Support ClutchFans!

McGrady's visit to Darfur

Saado Member

tinman Contributing Member Supporting Member

hkcosser Member

DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

Coob5 Member

DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

hkcosser Member

rocket_88 Member

hkcosser Member

eyhab27 Contributing Member

Big MAK Member

Omer Member

matac3 Member

rockability71 Member

henGoOink Member

hkcosser Member

rockability71 Member

rockability71 Member

DudeWah Member

DudeWah Member

Share This Page

tinman Contributing Member
Supporting Member