[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12049]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO MANUTE BOL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Perriello) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PERRIELLO. Madam Speaker, this morning I rose to honor the 
passing of Ruby Archie, a great hero to all of those in southern 
Virginia; an educator, a civic leader, and a tireless advocate for 
fairness. Tonight, I rise for the passing of another individual, Manute 
Bol, who was laid to rest at the National Cathedral earlier today.
  Many know Mr. Bol as the tallest player ever to have played in the 
NBA. But to those of us who followed issues in Sudan and in Africa, he 
is a giant for other reasons. He is a giant for his humanitarian work. 
He is a giant for having stood up for justice and fairness, 
particularly in Africa's longest-running civil war against the southern 
Sudanese, where so many Christians and traditionalists have been 
suffering for so many years.
  Too many in our country fight to become famous as an end in itself. 
Here was an individual of such tremendous character that he used fame 
as a means to help those less fortunate.
  After growing up in Sudan and having a chance to remove himself to 
the United States, where he could have lived a comfortable life of 
riches, he chose instead to give everything he had, his money, his 
time, and his energy, to protect those suffering back in his homeland.
  Manute Bol became a hero, not just on the basketball court, but he 
became a hero to many evangelical Christians, to people of all faiths, 
to lost boys back in Sudan, and to people all over the world for being 
a shining example of someone who chose to always stand for justice, a 
word engraved in the dais behind me, and understanding that as feared 
as he was as a shot-blocker, he was even more fearless in his own life 
in standing up. And not just doing the easy work of writing a check, 
but always being willing to go back and spend time on the ground, often 
at great personal risk to his security and to his health, and was even 
willing to speak out against regimes that were not only enemies of the 
people of that country, but often of our own.
  He was a hero to many of us who looked at the fact that many will 
look back through history and say, how did we allow 30,000 of God's 
children to die every day of hunger and preventable disease? Here was a 
man who not only made this town of Washington proud when he was with 
the then-Bullets, but all over the country inspired many to say, what 
can I give, what can I sacrifice, for those who are suffering or not 
having the blessings that we have?
  And he did it all with a tremendous sense of humor. Mr. Bol spent his 
last few days in my district in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the 
University of Virginia, and we were honored to have him and so many of 
his loved ones in for the unfortunate and far too early passing of this 
great hero.
  I hope today people will take a moment not only to say a prayer for 
him and his family and for all of those in Sudan who continue to 
suffer, but will take some inspiration from his legacy, of someone who 
came from very rough circumstances, got to the top of the world, and 
did nothing but look back to how he could help those less fortunate. He 
is an inspiration to all of those. He is a giant of a humanitarian. He 
has been a warrior for justice and fairness, and we honor him today.

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