Rest in peace. A long overdue tribute to the life and legacy of Manute Bol.

The Pan-African community; not people, our community is a World. African Warlord X

Manute Bol was a Sudanese-born basketball player and activist. At 7 feet, 7 inches (2.31 meters), Bol was one of the tallest players ever to appear in the National Basketball Association, officially measured at 7 feet, 6 3/4 inches tall by the Guinness Book of World Records. Bol is believed to have been born on October 16, 1962 in either Turalei or Gogrial, Sudan. He was the son of a Dinka tribal chief, who gave him the name "Manute", which means "special blessing."

It is quite obvious from the introduction the Manute Bol was a man of prestige in African and America alike. As an NBA basketball player, available to him were all of the vices and temptations common to rich and wealthy men ; women who would kiss his feet if he asked, the fanciest of cars, the tallest of tall castles, and much, much more. However, the sick man pictured above ( photograph taken hours before he passed away ) had one love that made it easy to mostly ignore the aforementioned luxuries at has disposal ; Activism.

Bol's life revolve around diplomacy and charitable causes. He spent much of the money he made during a 10-year NBA career supporting various causes related to his war-ravaged nation of birth, the Sudan. He frequently visited Sudanese refugee camps, where he was treated like royalty. In 2001 Bol was offered a post as minister of sport by the Sudanese government. However, Bol refused because one of the pre-conditions was converting to Islam.[20] As a result, Bol was hindered from leaving the country by the Sudanese government, who accused him of supporting the Dinka-led Christian rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Army. The Sudanese government refused to grant him an exit visa unless he promised to return with more money. In the Sudan, this was a great threat, because if Bol didn't make good on any negotiations, family and friends alike could have been put to death. At the time, Bol's wealth was his name, and he would have to get money using his fame.

Fortunately, assistance by supporters in the United States, including Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, raised money to provide Bol with plane tickets to Cairo, Egypt. After 6 months of negotiations with U.S. consulate officials regarding refugee status, Bol and his family were finally able to leave Egypt and return to the United States.

Bol established the Ring True Foundation in order to continue fund-raising for Sudanese refugees. He gave most of his earnings (an estimated $3.5 million) to their cause. This ( and other charitable efforts ) were blessed in unconventional ( and humorous ) ways. In the fall of 2002, Bol signed a one-day contract with the Indianapolis Ice of the Central Hockey League, and he even suited up as a horse jockey to raise money for his causes.

Bol was involved in the April 2006 Sudan Freedom Walk, a three-week march from the United Nations building in New York to the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.. The event was organized by Simon Deng, a former Sudanese swimming champion (currently a lifeguard at Coney Island) who was a longtime friend of Bol. Deng, who was a slave for three years from the age of nine, is from another tribe in Southern Sudan. His Sudan Freedom Walk is especially aimed at finding a solution to the genocide in Darfur (western Sudan), but it also seeks to raise awareness of the modern day slavery and human rights abuses throughout Sudan. Bol spoke in New York at the start of the Walk, and in Philadelphia at a rally organized by former hunger striker Nathan Kleinman.

Unfortunately, Bol would eventually " discover " that he was an " awkward and ugly man " by American standards. Most people ( including myself ) remember the daily jokes that only the imaginations of racist white American imaginations could create. The Black combs the Black people used were referred to as " Manute Bol's family in a canoe. " Bol eventually developed a hatred of being continually asked " how's the weather up there ", and once replied to a reporter by asking " how's the blonde down there ? " These and many other insults eventually inspired Bol to make money in the U.S., but spend most of his time among other " ugly " people in the Sudan.

If I'm not mistaking, Bol contracted Malaria on at least two occasions. However, Manute Bol passed into Ancestry after battling acute kidney failure as a result of having Stevens–Johnson syndrome. After his death, tributes to Bol's basketball career and charitable works came from around the United States and the world. The sad truth, however, is that Bol's activism and passing away were mere footnotes in the minds of most African Americans.

The lessons our brother taught us are priceless. He didn't foolishly attempt to lighten his skin ( as that coon Sammy Sosa and Michael Jackson did ). He didn't look for love in the wrong places, nor acceptance. Instead, he was amused by people who were amused by him. He didn't attempt to get Sudanese Americans to have " we shall overcome " marches on behalf of our people in the Sudan. MANUTE BOL RESORTED TO NATIONALISM. HE RESORTED TO LOVE OF SELF, AND LOVE OF TALKING TO AND BEING IN THE COMPANY OF PEOPLE LIKE HIMSELF. He didn't become a freedom fighter by day, and a Black man who chased white women in the dark of night. No. THIS MAN LOVED HIMSELF !!!!!!!!

The day will be great when the remaining minority of African Americans ( black Conservatives and " special Negroes " ) catch on to what the masses of Black people are beginning to embrace. It used to be uncommon to meet a child with a so-called " Black name. " Now, Black people everywhere are adopting African customs and names, wearing dreadlocks, African garb, and celebrating Kwanzaa. Geneology searches are as common as tap water amongst Black people now.

THE LAST STEP, WHICH IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, IS PAN-AFRICANISM ! Most Black people in America who don't even consider themselves as militants, Black nationalists, or Pan-Africanists are such be default. As a people whose language and culture was beaten, lynched, and raped out of us, we became deaf, dumb, and blind for centuries, living in the midst of bestial people. Oh, but how the tides are changing. Europe and white America are returning to another dark age, evidenced by the evolution of the teabagger movement in America. However, African Americans are slowly becoming what we were before suffering the Middle Passage. What a great example Manute Bol gave us to follow as we continue our journey.

Rest in peace, brother. R.I.P.

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