Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference

Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference (2007) is the second book by former New York Times journalist Warren St. John. It follows one season with the Fugees, a soccer team for refugee boys in Clarkston, Georgia. Weaving personal stories with local and international histories, St. John demonstrates The Value of Organized Sports for Young People and the systemic injustices preventing refugees from equal participation in American society.

This summary is based on the 2009 Penguin e-book edition.

Other work by this author includes the book, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer.

Summary

In the Introduction, St. John argues that the story of the Fugees is inextricable from larger debates about refugee resettlement. Part 1 alternates personal stories with the history of Clarkston and the Fugees. The Fugees’ coach, Luma Mufleh, was born in Jordan to wealthy parents who sent her to college in America. After graduation, she moved to the Atlanta area. Beatrice Ziaty, a Liberian refugee, came to Clarkston after escaping violence in Monrovia with her four children.

In the 1980s, Clarkston, a typical Southern small town, was selected for refugee resettlement because of its proximity to Atlanta and public transit. Locals—predominantly older, white residents—resent the changes to Clarkston that come as a result of the influx of resettled, refugee families. In nearby Decatur, Luma coaches girls’ soccer and opens a restaurant. She discovers Clarkston by accident and decides to start a soccer program for local boys. The program is a success. Luma becomes integrated into the lives of her players and their families and closes her restaurant.

The Fugees’ team grows in size as players recruit new refugees to the team and introduce them to Coach Luma. Paula Balegamire fled her home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with her six children, one of whom joins the team, after her husband became a political prisoner. Bienvenue Ntwari, a Tutsi refugee, joins after arriving in Clarkston from Burundi with his family. To provide context for the discrimination faced by the Fugees’ players in their community, St. John describes the violent assault of Chike Chime, a Nigerian immigrant and business owner, by a Clarkston police officer at a routine traffic stop, as well as the harassment by police of a Sudanese refugee named Nathaniel Nyok, who tried to organize a soccer league for men at a park in Clarkston. The ensuing debate over these incidents of police violence against immigrants causes trouble for the Fugees, who are forced to relocate to a poorly maintained field behind an elementary school.

Part 2 begins at tryouts for the Fugees’ new season. Coach Luma considers the challenges facing her under-15 team, particularly their dusty, crowded field. When a star player refuses to cut his hair, Luma kicks him off the team, causing other players on the under-15 team to act out. Because of the state of their field, the Fugees host their first home game at a field 15 minutes away. When several players arrive late, Luma decides to mirror their apathy and refuses to coach and then cancels the rest of their season. Kanue Biah, a Liberian refugee, takes the cancellation of the under-15 team’s season especially hard. He convinces Luma to hold tryouts for those players dedicated to the team and new players that he will recruit personally.

Generose Ntwari struggles to provide for her family. Meanwhile, Luma clashes with YMCA officials angry about her decision to cancel the under-15 team’s season. Luma attends the tryouts organized by Kanue and reluctantly puts together a team, warning them that they will likely lose most games. To test the team, Luma has the under-15 team scrimmage against the under-17s. Although the under-15s lose, Luma gains confidence in their ability as a team. She asks Mayor Swaney to let the team practice at Milam Park; he defers to the city council. Kanue and Mandela lead the new under-15 team to a 4-3 victory in their first game. The next day, a young Liberian boy named Tito, who had been practicing with the Fugees, is shot near the Fugees’ field. Scared and desperate, Luma prepares for her meeting with the city council.

Some Clarkston institutions, such as the Thriftown Grocery Store, the new Clarkston International Bible Church, and the police department, adapt positively in the face of cultural change. Mayor Swaney struggles to explain his rationalization for banning soccer in Milam Park. The city council allows the Fugees to use the park’s field for a six-month trial period. Luma and the Fugees meet with Tony Scipio, the new police chief, to discuss the dangers of gangs. The Fugees enjoy their first practice at Milam Park despite interference from an older Clarkston resident.

Part 3 chronicles the end of the Fugees’ season. Qendrim Bushi, a refugee from Kosovo, becomes an important part of the under-13 team. After a rough start, the under-13s win a game against the all-white Liberty Fire, bringing them close to first place. The next day, the under-15s lose an important away game. When Mandela loses his temper, Luma removes him from the team. The Dikoris brothers—refugees who lost their mother and sisters in a car accident shortly after resettling—become an integral part of the under-13 team. On the way to their next game, Luma is arrested for driving on a suspended license. The team continues to the game and loses 5-0. To lift their spirits, Luma takes the boys trick-or-treating for Halloween. Later that night, player Grace Balegamire wakes up to gunshots in his apartment complex.

The under-15s begin their final game of the season with a lazy attitude. At halftime, Luma calls the team a bunch of idiots, and they lose the game. The under-13s, who consistently follow Luma’s rules, win their last game and prepare for the prestigious Tornado Cup. On the first day of the tournament, the Fugees win one game and lose one; they need a win the next day to advance. The Fugees start the game strong but lose in the final minutes and leave dejected. Shortly after the tournament, the Fugees lose their right to practice at Milam Park. As the book ends, Luma searches for a new practice field.

The Epilogue describes Luma’s reconciliation with her parents and the lives of the players after the 2006 season. After the publication of St. John’s 2007 New York Times article about the Fugees, donations and sponsorships allow Luma to take full control of the team.