Luol Deng (born 16 April 1985 in Wau, Sudan): Chicago Bulls Forward When he was young, his father Aldo, a member of the Sudanese parliament, moved the family to Egypt to escape the Second Sudanese Civil War. In Egypt, they met former NBA center Manute Bol, another Dinka, who taught Deng's older brother, Ajou Deng, how to play basketball while also serving as a mentor for Luol himself.
Deng continues to credit Manute Bol as a major influence, saying "He has really helped me out in my life and I know that if I'm playing this game then it's thanks to him, so I owe him a lot." "Manute started me with this whole thing and basketball. Our relationship is one where he is like an older brother or a father to me. He gives me a lot of advice."
Deng has won three major sportsmanship awards. On 3 May 2007, Deng won the NBA's sportsmanship award in a vote by players. The award honors the player who best exemplifies ethical behavior, fair play and integrity on the court.
Deng also won the 2006-2007 Golden Icon Award for Best Sports Role Model. The awards are presented by the Travolta entertainment family. Most recently, he won the 2008 UN Refugee Agency's Humanitarian of the Year Award as part of the UNHCR's ninemillion.org campaign to bring education and sports to millions of displaced children.
Deng is involved in numerous charities. During the summers of 2006 and 2007, Luol went to Africa, Asia and Europe with the NBA for their Basketball Without Borders Tour. He is also a spokesperson for the World Food Programme. "He really does epitomize everything I had hoped for as a person and a basketball player," general manager John Paxson said.
The Luol Deng Foundation is dedicated to assisting those in need by providing resources and creating opportunities for a better way of life. In Chicago, the Chicago Bulls and Luol Deng provided Thanksgiving dinner for 843 visitors to the Pacific Garden Mission November 17, 2008. The foundation’s wellness, educational and recreational programs encourage and promote progress and improvement in our community and in Sudan.
Lopez Lomong (born on January 1, 1985 in Kimotong, Sudan): Sudanese-born American track and field athlete One of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Lomong came to the United States at age 16 and became a U.S. citizen in 2007. Lomong was a victim of the Second Sudanese Civil War. A Catholic, he was abducted at age six while attending Catholic Mass and assumed dead by his family and buried in absentia. He nearly died in captivity, but was helped to escape by others from his village. The four of them ran for three days until they crossed the border in Kenya. Lomong spent ten years in a refugee camp near Nairobi before being moved to the United States through Catholic Charities.
He was inspired to become a runner following watching Michael Johnson at the 2000 Summer Olympics on television. Lomong is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. He was resettled in the United States through Catholic Charities with Robert and Barbara Rogers, in New York State. The Rogers have since gone on to sponsor many other Sudanese refugees. Lomong attended Tully High School in Tully, NY, entering at a 10th grade level. In high school, he helped lead the cross country and track teams to sectional and state titles, and later competed for Northern Arizona University. In 2007, Lomong was the division I NCAA indoor champion at 3000 meters and the outdoor champion at 1500 meters.
He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on July 6, 2007.
Lomong is a member of Team Darfur, a group of athletes urging China to exert pressure on the Sudanese government to address the War in Darfur. http://lopezlomong.org/
Aduei Riak: Director and Founder: Girls International, Inc. Aduei Riak was born in Juba, Southern Sudan. The civil war in Sudan set Aduei on a journey that took her from country to country across east Africa in search for a refuge.
Aduei arrived to the United States in late 2000 as one of over 4,000 Sudanese refugees "Lost Boys and Girls" who were relocated in cities across the U.S. Not able to speak much English, she taught herself the English language by watching children's shows such as Sesame Street. Aduei graduated from Belmont High in Massachusetts and attended Brandeis University where in May 2007, graduated with degrees in Anthropology and International & Global Studies. She was presented with Anthropology Department's first award for "Engaged Anthropology" honoring a distinguished graduate who excelled at intergrading social activism and academic study of Anthropology. Aduei was also named a Justice Louis Brandeis Scholar.
Aduei in her advocacy work spoke on countless prestigious conferences at many universities like Harvard, Tufts University, Brandeis University and many more, churches and other public events sharing her inspiring story. She appears in a documentary Finding the Lost Girls to raise awareness about Sudanese women's issues. Aduei has also done extensive campaign against Darfur Genocide on college and high school campuses across the United States. Recently in Hawaii, Aduei was the keynote speaker along with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at International Women's Leadership Conference hosted by the Governor of Hawaii Linda Lingle. You can access Aduei’s past speeches at: http://hawaii.gov/gov/news/events/2008/september/womens-leadership-conference-underway http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-23-lost-girls_N.htm
In Southern Sudan, less than 1% of girls graduate from high school making Aduei the one rare exception that has excelled academically and has become a role model for many women and men, both in the United States and in Sudan. She is now starting Girls International, Inc. a foundation to give girls in Southern Sudan an access to education.
John Prendergast: Co-Chair of the ENOUGH Project (an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity) During the Clinton administration, John was involved in a number of peace processes in Africa while he was Director of African Affairs at the National Security Council and Special Advisor at the Department of State. John has also worked for members of Congress, the United Nations, human rights organizations, and think tanks, as well as having been a youth counselor and basketball coach in the U.S.
He has authored eight books on Africa, including Not on Our Watch, a New York Times bestseller he co-authored with Don Cheadle. John is working on a new book which focuses on his 20 years in the Big Brother program. John has helped produce two documentaries on Northern Uganda and been involved in three documentaries on Sudan. He has been part of three episodes of CBS' 60 Minutes which earned an Emmy Award for Best Continuing News Coverage and is helping to develop two additional episodes.
He is helping to spearhead a campaign involving the NBA and Participant Productions to widen awareness on Darfur, as well as a campaign to end the violence against women and girls in the Congo. John travels regularly to Africa's war zones on fact-finding missions, peace-making initiatives, and awareness-raising trips. He is a visiting professor at the University of San Diego and the American University in Cairo.
Dynamq (Kennedy O. Lorya born in Juba Sudan) Dynamq's love for music came from attending Sunday school and also singing just for the sake of it. As a young kid, Dynamq and his family fled the war in Sudan, moving to Nairobi, Kenya. Growing up in Kawangware, in Nairobi, was not easy for Dynamq's family; it was one of the worst ghetto areas in Nairobi. To stay out of trouble Dynamq sang at stage shows hosted locally around his area.
Dynamq spent a few months in a refugee camp formally known as "IFO CAMP", located in the North Eastern part of Kenya. There he learned the real meaning of struggling and developed a strong and stable belief in living his life to the fullest. His first big stage show was at the 1996 King Lions Sounds "Rasta Festival" held at the City Hall in Nairobi, Kenya. At this point Dynamq took music seriously.
Currently Dynamq is in the United States where he is working on his album "SUDANESE CHILD". Dynamq has managed to share the stage with various artists such as : Wayne Wonder, Buju Banton, Jabali Afrika, Beenie Man, Eek A Mouse, Beres Hammond, Sanchez, Wayne Wonder, The Roots, King Yellowman, The Wailers Band, John Browns Body, Luciano, Freddie McGregor, Marcia Griffiths, Lymie, Tinga Stewart, Burning Spear, Baha men, and Third World. Dynamq also tours with the world famous SHASHAMANE Sounds International and has maintained a good reputation as an entertainer. His recent performance at Chicago can be accessed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dae_UUCLenM