Refugee Soccer Team Inspires

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Megan Burke / News Editor

Published February 17, 2010 at 6:29 AM PST

This story was published more than 14 years ago.

Warren St. John, author of "Outcasts United," joins us to talk about his experience in a small town in Georgia with a soccer team made up of refugees from around the world. It's not just a story about soccer.

MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): As the Olympics in Vancouver brings together athletes from around the world, we're reminded once again about the power of sports to break down barriers that separate people and cultures.

The book that is this year's One Book, One San Diego selection also tells about the power of sports but the story is more complex than the winning of a gold medal. It focuses on the town of Clarkson, Georgia, which became the unlikely resettlement hub for a wide variety of refugees from the Middle East and Africa. The new experience of America, the town's reaction and the soccer team the refugees formed is the story told in "Outcasts United."

Guests:

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Warren St. John, author "Outcasts United A Refugee Team, an American Town"

Valerie Breen, project manager One Book, One San Diego

Public Info:

One Book, One San Diego 2010 Kick Off Celebration

Join KPBS and the San Diego Public Library for an evening with Warren St. John, author of "Outcasts United," the 2010 One Book, One San Diego selection on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 at 7 p.m.

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The event is open to the public and free of charge but seating is limited. RSVP here.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Megan Burke

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Megan Burke is an Emmy-award winning news editor overseeing the environment, health, and racial justice and social equity reporting beats. Prior to her current role as editor, Megan spent more than a decade as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition, a daily radio news magazine and podcast. Other news production credits include KPBS Evening Edition, KPBS Roundtable, and San Diego’s DNA, a two-part documentary highlighting the region’s oldest traditions and culture using personal artifacts and oral histories of San Diegans.

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