LUBBOCK, Texas -
A man who escaped genocide in Africa spoke to Lubbock area high school students Wednesday.
Two-hundred students gathered to hear Gilbert Tuhabonye's story of his escape from a massacre and subsequent genocide in Burundi, a country in Central Africa, in the early 1990's.
Tuhabonye is the founder of one of Austin's largest training groups for runners, Gilbert's Gazelles. He's also the co-founder for the Gazelle Foundation, which provides clean water to Burundi.
"My story is a mix of bad experiences and good experiences, it's about forgiveness, it's about moving on, it's about go out and do great things," he said. "We might experience rough times in our life, but what I've learned is to be able to forgive, that's what helped me to move on to my new chapter of my new life."
Tuhabonye was appointed 5 years ago to the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission by former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and was reappointed by current Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
