You may have noticed that SB Nation has quite a few ads on the sidebars of its sites around the network and one of the upcoming "advertorials" that you'll see coming up on this site is a set of Jordan Brand documentaries.
While cruising around SBN the other day, I happened to catch the "Rise Above" short shown in the video above. The Muslim Women in Sports blog provides a little background (as well as an older video) on the award-winning documentary the video is from, "Salaam Dunk".
Two years ago, most of the women on the basketball team at the American University of Iraq - Sulaimani (AUIS) had never been running before. Many had never played sports. None had ever been on a team with other women. They came from all corners of Iraq to attend this prestigious school, but many cannot tell family back home they go to an "American" university...From the joy of their first win to the pain of losing the coach who started their team, the film gives a glimpse into an Iraq we don't see on the news.
The film came out last year and you can see even more press about it at its website.
But as we in the U.S. reflect upon what Independence Day means in our social context, the video also represents an example of the daily struggles for self-determination that people face across the world still face and perhaps a reminder of the work still left to do in our own nation.