Last month, Yobachi, of Blackperspective.net and the Afrosphere Action Coalition held a conference call with Team Darfur co-founder and Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek, who is working hard to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur. I was supposed to be one of the participants, but due to work and technical difficulties, I didn’t get a word in until the very end, and I’m not sure I said or asked anything of import. Anyway, here’s the official press release and podcast of the event.
Monday August 4, 2008
Olympic Athletes Standing For a Cause of Conscience
On July 9th, the Afrosphere Action Coalition hosted a conference call with Team Darfur co-founder and Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek about activist advocacy for ending genocide in Darfur Sudan; particularly as it relates to the Olympics and China’s role in Sudan. Team Darfur boast “360+” former and current international competitive athlete.
The podcast page for the conference call is located at www.utterz.com/u/utt/u-NTExODkxNQ#utt-NTExODkxNQ
Yet also, bloggers and website editors can post this podcast directly to ones own site, as can be seen here: www.blackperspective.net/index.php/afrosphere-action-coalition/aac-on- darfur-and-humanitarian-issues/ by posting the following embedded code just as with a youtube video or other embedded media:
Many bloggers participated in the call with 2006 Olympic speed skating gold medlist Joey Cheek; who donated his “$25,000 gold medal award from the U.S. Olympic Committee to refugees from Darfur.” – npr.org
Team Darfur world class distance runner Jon Rankin called in as well, though we were not able to get him into the conversation.
In Team Darfur we see athletes standing up for doing right in the world based on their values, passions, and convictions. Such an effort by those in the spot light should be lauded in view of the behaviors we often hear about our athletes.
Joey Cheek discussed with bloggers Team Darfur’s call for an Olympic Truce and how it is, base on the Olympic’s own charter, that such an issue does indeed belong in the discussion with the Olympics
From Olympic Truce letter: “In our common aspiration to realize the ideals of the Olympic Games, we, the undersigned, urge the international community to convince the Government of Sudan to observe an Olympic Truce for Darfur before, during, and after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Through this letter, we issue an urgent call to the conscience of the international community. The violence in Sudan has gone on for too long. We hope you will use the opportunity of the Olympic Truce to work to end it.” This is discussed starting about the 10:42 mark of the podcast.
Relevant websites: Afrosphere Action Coalition google site: sites.google.com/site/afrosphereactioncoalition/Home – Team Darfur: teamdarfur.org/
Afrosphere Action Coalition,
Coordinators:
Daz Wilson purplezoe.blogspot.com/ * Yobachi Boswell www.BlackPerespective.net * Francis L. Holland francislholland.blogspot.com/
Thank you for actually posting the podcast.
I’m glad it worked for you as others have had problems getting to show.
And thanks for your continued support of various initiatives. You’re one of our stalwarts.
This Joey Cheek situation is disturbing. They aren’t letting someone come into the country because he might say something bad about China. China has is guilty of so many human rights violations it’s pathetic. I find it very hard to support and watch these Olympics with Darfur issue going on. Check out this campaign to try to boycott the opening ceremony this Friday: http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/olympic-sponsor-speak-out-on-darfur
Thanks, Yobachi. I try to do what I can. I’m not sure why people are having problems with posting the podcast. I just copy and pasted the embed code and it worked.
@Andrew: Yeah, that’s really messed up.
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