Outcasts United

In the early 1980s, Clarkston, Georgia was like a lot of small southern towns - full of tightly-knit, mostly white families who had lived there for generations. Then Clarkson was designated as a refugee resettlement center.

Suddenly refugees from Sudan, Liberia, Congo and Bosnia began shopping in the supermarket and sending their kids to the local school. For the newcomers, the transition from refugee camp to small-town America wasn’t easy, especially for their kids. While many began to learn English and adjust to their new home, they also struggled to forget the violence they had witnessed.

Sports became their salvation, but not everyone in Clarkston approved of the all-refugee soccer team who called themselves The Fugees. Journalist Warren St. John spent more than six months in Clarkston and wrote about the team in his new book Outcasts United.

Join the Outcasts United Facebook group

Watch an ESPN video of The Fugees:

(Photo by Miguel Gimenez via Flickr/Creative Commons)