III
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 579
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 13, 2010
Mr. Brownback (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Burris, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Dodd, and Mr. Roberts) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
August 5, 2010
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Honoring the life of Manute Bol and expressing the condolences of the Senate on his passing.
Whereas Manute Bol was born the son of a Dinka tribal
chief in Sudan, and was given the name Manute
, which means
special blessing
;
Whereas Manute Bol traveled to the United States in 1983 and played college basketball at the University of Bridgeport during the 1984–1985 season;
Whereas Manute Bol began his National Basketball Assocation (NBA) career with the Washington Bullets in 1985, setting the rookie shot-blocking record;
Whereas Manute Bol played in the NBA for 10 years, setting numerous shot-blocking records;
Whereas, after beginning his career in the NBA, Manute Bol used his fame and fortune to raise funding and awareness for the people of Sudan;
Whereas Manute Bol was admitted to the United States as a religious refugee and lost over 250 members of his extended family to a civil war rife with religious tensions, but nevertheless spent his life working for reconciliation between Christians and Muslims in Sudan;
Whereas Manute Bol’s last project to foster reconciliation was to build 41 schools for Christians and Muslims to learn and live together in the spirit of reconciliation;
Whereas Manute Bol constantly put himself in danger to bring peace and stability to Sudan, including by flying into war zones and visiting refugee camps that were targeted for aerial attack;
Whereas, on Manute Bol’s last humanitarian visit to Sudan, the President of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, requested that Manute Bol extend his visit to make appearances at Sudan’s national election and use his influence to counter corruption, which ultimately led to the deterioration of his health and his sudden death;
Whereas Manute Bol advocated for human rights in Sudan by appearing before Congress and lobbying Members of Congress, thus positively influencing United States foreign policy on Sudan;
Whereas, after Manute Bol retired, he resided in West Hartford, Connecticut, and Olathe, Kansas;
Whereas Manute Bol died at the age of 47 on June 19, 2010; and
Whereas Manute Bol’s perseverance in his advocacy for Sudan affected the lives of thousands, and possibly millions, of people in Sudan: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
expresses profound sorrow at the death of Manute Bol;
conveys its condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Manute Bol;
expresses gratitude to Manute Bol for his passion and determination in raising awareness of human rights abuses, and his dedication to bringing peace to Sudan; and
encourages the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) to pursue exhibition games with a Sudanese basketball team to increase awareness of the political and humanitarian situation in Sudan, with proceeds from these games donated toward the construction of reconciliation schools in Sudan, as proposed by Manute Bol.