RELATED LINKS:
-- Garçon Discusses Haitian Roots, Impact of 2010 Earthquake
-- Garçon Repping Haiti For Heavyweight Boxing Match
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It's photo shoot day at Redskins Park, but for Pierre Garçon and Ricky Jean Francois, burgundy and gold weren't the only colors they were representing in front of the camera.
And rightly so.
Proud U.S. citizens of Haitian descent, the wide receiver and defensive lineman posed with the red and blue flag together, celebrating the country that stores tboth of heir roots.
As we've noted a few times in the past on The Redskins Blog, Garçon has always made sure to keep the flag near him – in his locker or when he travels to support other Haitians – like a recent trip to Las Vegas to root for Bermane Stiverne, the first ever world heavyweight boxing champion of Haitian descent.
During the tragic earthquake there in 2010, Garçon was preparing for a playoff game with the Colts and had to stay close to the phone to make sure family, friends and the communities he knew were safe.
"When I heard the news about the earthquake, I was actually in Indianapolis," Garçon said on the NFL's six-part Journeys series. "Ever since then, it was just watching CNN and just trying to get information when it happened. It was already hard to get communication down in Haiti, because not everyone has a cell phone at that point.
"They reached my mom, my family, my sisters and let them know that they were OK...I wasn't just thinking about my family, I was thinking about everybody."
Jean Francois had planned a special visit to see his family before the disaster disrupted his plans and forced him to start aiding those in need.
He sent money to a Miami Preparatory Elementary School that funneled his donations to a non profit aiding with the relief efforts.
"I'm tired of seeing pictures on the internet and CNN showing that our country is sad," Francois said at the time. "It's time to give this sad story a happy ending. Let's show people how we can help. I want to see everything come together."
Garçon has used his heritage as a way to appreciate life, too.
"It shows me how to work extremely hard through difficult times, because that's how we have dealt with life as a people," he said in a 2013 edition of "Caribbean Beats" "We came through tough times throughout history, and we survived. Being from Haiti gives me strength. As a football player, I never give up on anything or any task. I represent Haiti everywhere I go."
Now, he'll be able to represent it with a teammate.
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