Outcasts United: Community Conversation with Luma Mufleh
Outcasts United: A Community Conversation with Luma Mufleh, Inspirational Coach and Founder of The Fugees Soccer Team
Presented by Facing History and Ourselves and The Allstate Foundation in partnership with the Chicago Humanities FestivalClick here to register today!Luma Mufleh is the inspirational coach of a soccer team called the Fugees—short for refugees. Players, selected for resettlement in a small town outside Atlanta called Clarkston, are from 28 war-torn countries, and most of them have endured unimaginable hardship. They share the experience of being caught between worlds, and something else—a love of soccer, a game many of the boys learned to play in refugee camps, using a bundle of plastic bags and twine for a ball.
The remarkable story of how these players, with Mufleh at the helm, found ways to connect and come together across broad cultural divides and oftentimes strong local resentment, was documented in
The New York Times bestseller,
Outcasts United, and is currently being made into a major motion picture by Universal Studios.
This Community Conversation is a part of Facing History’s civic initiative,
Choosing to Participate, anchored by a multimedia exhibition on view at the Harold Washington Library Center from August 27 - November 11, 2012. This powerful exhibition examines the impact and history of racism and injustice and looks at the courageous choices people make every day to build strong and inclusive communities. We will welcome tens of thousands of students, teachers, and community members to think deeply about the importance of participating in a democratic society.
Facing History is offering several ways to get involved in
Choosing to Participate, including guided tours for student groups; workshops for educators; volunteer opportunities for guides; and an exciting calendar of events. To learn more, visit
choosingtoparticipate.org.