Posted on 11/05/2009 8:02:54 AM PST by La Lydia
At 9, Madieu Williams immigrated to Prince George's County from Sierra Leone, one of the poorest nations on Earth. The move gave his family a sense of perspective. His mother told him over and over that if he ever found himself in a position to make a difference, he should do it. At 28, Williams finds himself in a relatively prosperous position: He plays free safety for the Minnesota Vikings. And Wednesday, he made a difference.
In a morning news conference, the University of Maryland announced the creation of the Madieu Williams Center for Global Health Initiatives. The former U-Md. star is providing a $2 million endowment. It is the largest gift to the flagship school from an African American alumnus and the largest sum donated by someone so young....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
People of color can make it in this country. You can be president, you can be a best-selling author, a CEO, or a big sports star. Nothing is holding you back except yourself.
Immigrants from Africa seem to understand that. It's the folks who have lived in Detroit for 4 or 5 generations that don't seem to get it.
God bless him.
The US is blessed beyond belief.
I hope this has a wonderful effect for the people of Sierra Leone.
BOO IMMIGRANTS! DOWN WITH PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES WHO COME TO AMERICA WORK HARD AND BECOME SUCCESSFUL!!!
That’s always the philanthropist’s problem. They always think “if only Africa had tons of money like us, they’d be alright”. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Culture and public policy is what it’s all about, and until those change, nothing will.
Good for him. It’s his money that he’ earned and he can use it for whomever and however he wants. I’d want to donate money to someone who’d truly appreciate it
Well Africa does need it more.
And it looks like it’s going to both Seirra Leone and Prince George’s County anyway. But even if it were aimed entirely at Africa, it’s not like having the center wouldn’t benefit UMD, and enable it to give more research grants to Maryland students, etc.
It’s foolish to think that Americans should only help Americans.
We are, after all, AMERICANS.
We had the good fortune to be born or emigrate to the greatest country on the planet. I was born here. I got LUCKY.
If people cannot make it in America, there is something wrong with them.
Meanwhile, some poor bastard was just born in Africa.
I feel for him a lot more than I do the guy born in a nation where an income of $19,000, a car and cable TV is considered “poverty”.
I wonder who he voted for Nov 4 2008?
$2 million may not seem like much to him but, Quarterbacks and defensive backs have the shortest career expectancy in the NFL.
Right to Snark earned by my many years of residence in PG County, and my UMD Diploma.
Yep ... he's trying to help not one but TWO "third-world countries" ...
Right to Snark earned by my many years of residence in PG County, and my UMD Diploma.
I have no problem with that.......Sierra Leone is certainly in more need of help than anywhere here in the U.S.
A new study finds that nearly half of all American children will need to use the federal food stamp program to eat at some point in their childhood, with the number much higher for African American children, at a startling 90 percent. And the current recession with persistently high unemployment rates, will cause the numbers of children on food stamps to rise even higher, say researchers.
Doesn't sound like your usual NFL goon. Sierra Leone has been devastated by vicious wars over diamonds. Some of the combatants were trained at a secret facility established by Muammar Khadafi. The ordinary people had no choice in the matter, especially the children forced into guerilla armies. In addition, much of tropical Africa is handicapped by parasitic diseases from which we are spared by climate.
Oh, for God’s sake give it a rest!
“Don’t know, but I like this...
2008 Polticial Donations:
Team ...............................Total ...... Dems ..... Repub ..... Dem % ..... Repub %
National Football League.$322,373.. $224,798.... $97,075... 70% ...30%
Minnesota Vikings.......... $131,175... $14,600... $116,575... 11%... 89%”
Same here!
While there are goons in the NFL, as a Cowboys fan, I'd like to mention a few things. Jason Witten runs the Jason Witten foundation, working with handicapped kids. Last year, after returning from a road game, Tony Romo stopped at night and helped an older man and woman change their tire. He never identified himself, and they didn't know it was him until they saw him on TV. Marion Barber hosted a young cancer patient at a Cowboys practice last summer.
All NFL teams have good guys like this who do good things out of the spotlight. Drew Brees has the Drew Brees Foundation that works with children. There are a LOT of good people in the NFL, along with the jerks.
Correct. I didn’t mean that the typical NFL player was a goon. There are lots of very admirable people in that game. But there is a “type” of player who is. We all know the members of this category: the ones who play dirty, hit late, celebrate with disgusting dances, taunt downed opponents, wear cornrows and acres of tattoos, etc. A cop once told me that there are known members of gangs like the Bloods and Crips in the NFL and NBA. (Certainly the part about the NBA should surprise no one.)
Maryland PING!
“an African American alumnus”
WOW! A REAL “AFRICAN-AMERICAN”!
Incidentally, I’m not sure “global health initiatives” nor UofMD is a good idea to bolster.
So, props on the 1 hand, jeers on the other.
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