20101106
africanews

Isaiah Washington former Grey's Anatomy star and a veteran of Spike Lee films continues to bring hope to the people of Sierra Leone since he discovered his DNA to the Mende and Temne people of the small West African nation.

The father of three, Washington, discovered through DNA testing in 2006 that his ancestral link to the Mende people of Sierra Leone. He became the first African American to be granted Sierra Leonean citizenship based on DNA.

Inspired by this discovery, Washington set up an elementary school through his Gondobay Manga Foundation which seeks to improve the lives of his people.


“Making history as an African American accomplishing my “dual citizenship” based on DNA is a great thing. Finally, I have a people and a nation to connect with on the African continent to learn from and grow with as I have learned and grown in America.” Washington told AfricaNews in an exclusive interview earlier.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Washington lined up celebrities for a fund-raiser which started from 6-9 p.m. at G.R. N'Namdi Gallery, 110 N. Peoria. Chicago, USA. The Tickets cost $75, and proceeds will help provide filters to purify well water in Sierra Leone.

He continues to use his celebrity status to bring more attention to the former war-ton nation.

He was recently appointed board member of The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation due to his hard work and interest in Africa.

"I realized no matter how many schools I build, how much I raise to rebuild hospitals, I found out very quickly with the wells, that waterborne diseases were the No. 1 problem -- killing more people than HIV and malaria all over the world," Washington said during a telephone interview with the Chicago Sun Times.