Hero shares the struggle of surviving life as a slave
Thomas C. Phillips II
Issue date: 2/15/05 Section: Lifestyles
The Alpha Beta Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. and Campus Activities Board will present the story of one man's struggle and survival in Sudan: From Slavery To Freedom, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Morruis University Center's Meridian Ballroom.
As part of Black Heritage Month at SIUE, the co-sponsored event will feature a speech by Francis Bok, a former slave in the African country of Sudan. Bok, who was kidnapped during his youth and enslaved in his own country for a decade, now speaks out against the evils of slavery worldwide and has gained international acclaim for his moving accounts of modern-day slavery across the globe.
"We heard Francis Bok's story and we felt it was our responsibility to bring him to speak," fraternity member Filmon Tekeste said. "His story is an extraordinary one and one that everyone should hear if they want to hear someone speak on something that they've mostly only read about in the history books
or seen films based on the subject."
According to the Web site at www.iabolish.com, created by Bok himself, he was abducted in 1986 by Arab militiamen and, after witnessing his entire village massacred, was strapped to a donkey and taken to Kirio, a region in northern Sudan.
For ten years, he endured beatings and other forms of abuse until his escape in 1996. He was enslaved by local policemen and eventually jailed as a fugitive yet gained his freedom in 1999 when the United Nations intervened and relocated him to North Dakota.
Bok has since become an international hero after being named a 'Hero Among Us' by the NBA's Boston Celtics and carrying the Olympic torch in December 2001.
"Francis Bok was the first ex-slave to testify before a Senate Committee in the year 2000," fraternity member Marvin Mitchell said. "He is an extremely powerful speaker, and his story is one that needs to be heard by everyone who wants to stop the evil institution of slavery."
Last year's Black Heritage Month collaboration between Iota Phi Theta and Campus Activities Board brought former Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale to speak. The event drew more than 600 people.
As part of Black Heritage Month at SIUE, the co-sponsored event will feature a speech by Francis Bok, a former slave in the African country of Sudan. Bok, who was kidnapped during his youth and enslaved in his own country for a decade, now speaks out against the evils of slavery worldwide and has gained international acclaim for his moving accounts of modern-day slavery across the globe.
"We heard Francis Bok's story and we felt it was our responsibility to bring him to speak," fraternity member Filmon Tekeste said. "His story is an extraordinary one and one that everyone should hear if they want to hear someone speak on something that they've mostly only read about in the history books
or seen films based on the subject."
According to the Web site at www.iabolish.com, created by Bok himself, he was abducted in 1986 by Arab militiamen and, after witnessing his entire village massacred, was strapped to a donkey and taken to Kirio, a region in northern Sudan.
For ten years, he endured beatings and other forms of abuse until his escape in 1996. He was enslaved by local policemen and eventually jailed as a fugitive yet gained his freedom in 1999 when the United Nations intervened and relocated him to North Dakota.
Bok has since become an international hero after being named a 'Hero Among Us' by the NBA's Boston Celtics and carrying the Olympic torch in December 2001.
"Francis Bok was the first ex-slave to testify before a Senate Committee in the year 2000," fraternity member Marvin Mitchell said. "He is an extremely powerful speaker, and his story is one that needs to be heard by everyone who wants to stop the evil institution of slavery."
Last year's Black Heritage Month collaboration between Iota Phi Theta and Campus Activities Board brought former Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale to speak. The event drew more than 600 people.
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