The Story

American actor Isaiah Washington discovered he had roots in Sierra Leone and took dual citizenship. CNN explores one man’s journey of discovery and his impact on a country with a troubled recent history.

Actor Isaiah Washington recently became a citizen  of Sierra Leone, inspired by DNA testing that showed he had ancestral links to the West African country. Washington is shown in his Burbank office with a photograph of students from the village of Gerihun, in southern Sierra Leone, taken on his visit there in 2006.

As a child growing up in Houston, Isaiah Washington said, his first impressions of Africans were discomfiting TV images of “natives running around in raffia with bones in their noses . . . trying to put Tarzan in a pot.”

The 45-year-old African American actor, formerly of “Grey’s Anatomy,” said his mother never talked of Africa. School never taught him much about his ancestral continent and news stories, he said, projected a place of poverty and pestilence, corruption and war.

Washington reflects renewed interest among African Americans reaching out to Africa, some of them inspired by DNA tests that they believe solve centuries-old puzzles about their origins.

The newly uncovered connections have led to more travel, philanthropic work, business ventures and, as with Washington, efforts to seek dual citizenship.

The trend is expected to accelerate with the presidency of Barack Obama, a son of Kenya and Kansas. His celebrated journey to his ancestral African village in 2006 was beamed around the globe, motivating many to explore their roots, black commentators say.

Particularly since Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities had their DNA tested in a 2006 PBS documentary, African Americans are increasingly using science to supplement oral histories and traditional genealogical research to find their roots, said G. Kofi Annan, a New Jersey-based design and marketing consultant who blogs about African trends.

The curiosity has fueled the growth of DNA testing outfits. African Ancestry Inc., a Washington-based firm, has tested the DNA of 15,000 people against its database of 25,000 African genetic lineages, according to its president, Gina M. Paige. The firm’s clients include Winfrey, film director Spike Lee, musician Quincy Jones, comedian Whoopi Goldberg and actors Morgan Freeman and Don Cheadle.

Other DNA testers include Bruce A. Jackson, co-director of the African American DNA Roots Project at the University of Massachusetts, who said he is swamped with so many requests that he has stopped taking them until he works through a two-year backlog.

He argues, however, that the global database of African genetic profiles is too small to be able to pinpoint the exact country of origin. Rick Kittles, African Ancestry’s scientific director and University of Chicago associate professor of medicine, counters that his proprietary database is large enough for accurate testing.

The DNA testing has led some African Americans to the newest frontier in connecting to the continent: dual citizenship.

Anthony Archer, an adjunct political science professor at Cal State Dominguez Hills, is working to persuade African nations to extend citizenship to African Americans. The Detroit native said his parents had always nurtured a pride in their African heritage.

His desire to reach out to Africa took off after his Jewish elementary school teacher told him about her people’s quest to return to their homeland and introduced him to the writings of Malcolm X, he said. For years, he spent weekends poring over genealogical records in search of his roots. In what he calls a life-altering experience, he took a DNA test last spring and was told he shared ancestry with the Tikar, Hausa and Fulani peoples in Cameroon.

Elated if surprised — he thought his roots were Ghanaian, based on his research — Archer is writing a letter to the president of Cameroon requesting dual citizenship. He said the country has not yet considered the question for African Americans.

Archer and other advocates said dual citizenship would help heal the lingering wounds of separation while offering both sides a chance to collaborate in trade and investment. With two passports, African Americans would enjoy greater rights in their ancestral country to own property, start businesses and travel freely, he said. (U.S. law does not bar Americans from acquiring other citizenships, a State Department official said.)

“African Americans are the richest Africans in the world,” said Archer, 43. “Africa can tap into us for our resources, and we can tap into them for our identities. ”

Archer and Gregory Simpkins, a vice president of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, which seeks to build bridges between the U.S. and Africa, are working to promote dual citizenship with Benin, Ghana, Tanzania and others. In a 63-page proposal to African leaders at a Tanzanian summit last year, Archer advocated granting dual citizenship to African descendants if ancestral linkages could be shown through DNA tests.

Ghana is the only African nation that clearly offers citizenship to African Americans, Archer said. Its “right to abode” law allows citizenship for those who live in the country for several years; Archer would like to see that requirement waived.

Liberia, which was founded by freed American slaves, used to offer citizenship to African Americans but adopted a new constitution in 1986 that is less clear on the question, he said.

In Sierra Leone, which made Washington a citizen, requests are decided on a case-by-case basis by a presidential commission; an ancestral linkage is not necessarily required.

Stevens said Sierra Leone, which is emerging from a decade of brutal civil war, needed someone famous like Washington to improve its image.

“We need a celebrity to come out and say, ‘Look, the war is over, it’s a peaceful country and there are lots of private sector investment opportunities,’ ” Stevens said.

The African diaspora has reached out to the continent since the early 19th century, as Jamaican-born Marcus Garvey advocated a “Back to Africa” movement and freed American slaves established a colony in Liberia.

The black consciousness movement of the 1960s also produced a renewed interest in connecting with Africa, said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an African American commentator in Los Angeles.

In addition to Obama and the popularity of DNA testing, the latest round of interest, Hutchinson and others said, is driven by factors including: increased affluence among African Americans, political stability in African nations such as Liberia and a new Africa Channel offered to 1.5 million households by Time Warner Cable.

In recent years, Winfrey has built a school in South Africa. Rap superstar Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has launched plans to build 1,000 water pumps throughout the continent. Comedian Chris Rock and his wife, Malaak Compton-Rock, have pitched in for schooling, basic needs and medical care for South African orphans and grandmother-led households.

Robert L. Johnson, Black Entertainment Television founder, is building a $12-million, four-star beachfront resort in Liberia and has put together a $30-million private equity fund to aid Liberian entrepreneurs.

In 2001, Bishop Charles E. Blake, pastor of the 22,000-member West Angeles Church of God in Christ, launched Save Africa’s Children, which has served 200,000 children with AIDS in 21 African countries. But smaller congregations are reaching out to Africa as well.

Minister Tony Dunn of the 2,000-member Zoe Christian Fellowship of Whittier leads regular missions to Africa and said he is talking to three other Los Angeles-area black churches interested in launching them as well.

“Our focus was on civil rights in the ’60s,” Dunn said. “Now that we’re progressing and getting better economically and socially, I believe we’re more open to our capacity to be mindful to others.”

For Washington, his DNA test led him to visit Sierra Leone for the first time in 2006. He said he was astonished that the faces of the people looked so much like his own relatives, and that the African landscape had shown up in his dreams.

One of the walls in his Burbank office is covered with 15 photos documenting that trip: a boy hunting for clean water, a newborn near death in Washington’s arms and a child who had received plastic surgery. Other mementos include a harvest mask, a jar of Namibian soil and his chieftain’s hand-carved wooden staff.

Since then, Washington has leaped into a flurry of activities. They include establishing his Gondobay Manga Foundation — named after a heroic African warrior whose name was given to Washington at his 2006 chieftain induction ceremony. His Coalhouse Productions company is making a documentary about Sierra Leone.

That same year, Washington spoke at a White House summit on malaria and last year he joined Sierra Leone President Koroma’s delegation to the United Nations and Washington.

The actor believes that “DNA has memory,” that the calling to come home and help his people was embedded in his genes all along.

“I am who I was,” Washington said. “This doesn’t negate the love I have for the United States, but my real parents are Sierra Leone.”

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Actor Isaiah Washington’s (“Grey’s Anatomy”) Gondobay Manga Foundation, is pleased to announce that since the launch of its ‘Reach One Million’ Campaign’ on August 3, Washington’s 45th birthday, the campaign has raised nearly $20k, including a $10k donation from New Orleans Saints defensive end Bobby McCray and a $5k donation from legendary recording artist Stevie Wonder’s Los Angeles based radio station Radio Free KJLH 102.3. McCray and Wonder’s donations will allow for the erection of water wells in the rural village of Njala Kendema in the Bo Region of Sierra Leone, West Africa, where 47% of the country’s children under the age of 5 are afflicted with malaria and 28% percent of the population are unable to meet basic food requirements. Joining McCray and Wonder in supporting Isaiah’s efforts is retired Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller and celebrity attorney Blair Berk. In addition to these donations, the campaign has raised an impressive amount of money via its website www.reachonemillion.org.

The ‘Reach One Million’ campaign is a national campaign spearheaded through Washington’s non-profit organization The Gondobay Manga Foundation. The campaign’s goal is to raise $250,000 before the end of the year to help improve the lives of one million children in Sierra Leone—one village, one region, at a time.

The campaign calls for donations in the amount of $5 to $5000 to help reach one million children in Sierra Leone to aid in providing food, education, protection from malaria, and clean drinking water.

The ‘Reach One Million’ campaign comes on the heels of Washington discovering his genetic link to the Mende people of Sierra Leone. After his initial visit to Sierra Leone in 2006 where he saw first hand the extreme poverty and the needs of the children of Sierra Leone, he made a pledge to do more to help the country. One year later in 2007, Washington opened the Chief Foday Golia Memorial School near the village of Njala Kendema in the Bagbwe Chiefdom. Currently, there are 300 students out of a total population of 2,150 from six villages in the Chiefdom attending class everyday.

Later this year, Washington will travel back to Sierra Leone where he will receive dual citizenship from the Sierra Leonean government.

Isaiah Washington who will attend the event in person to receive his award traced his DNA
to Sierra Leonean roots and was recently honored by the government of Sierra Leone as the first African American to have Sierra Leone/American dual citizenship. Mr. Washington has made several trips to Sierra Leone and given generous donations to various causes in Sierra Leone including the building of a secondary school in the provinces. He is also founder and chairman of the Gondobay Manga Foundation, a non-profit committed to improving the lives of the people of Sierra Leone.

The NOSLINA annual awards is a fund raising event to recognize the contributions of Sierra Leoneans and friends of Sierra Leone to the development of the country and celebration of the work people do to advance the well being of Sierra Leoneans in North America and elsewhere. NOSLINA puts out an annual competitive call for nominations for awards in four categories: Diamond, Humanitarian Leadership, Community Leadership, and Entrepreneurial Leadership. Recipients of these competitive awards will be announced in early March 2009. Mr. Washington’s award is a special board designated award.

The Awards Gala will include dinner featuring Sierra Leone specialties, spectacular music, and information about NOSLINA. Proceeds go to support education and health projects in Sierra Leone approved by the NOSLINA Board of Directors. Sierra Leonean Business entrepreneur Mr. Folo Jacobs has consented to being Distinguished Grand Chief Patron and the MC is Dr. Sia Fuambai Ahmadu, Executive Director of the Miss Sierra Leone Pageant. Several diplomats, distinguished guests, and a cross section of Sierra Leoneans from across the United States will attend NOSLINA’s annual signature event. Donors, sponsors, and patrons will be invited to a special VIP reception with Isaiah Washington.

For further information please visit the NOSLINA website at www.noslina.org or call Suna Nallo, Executive Director at 410 412 4311 or at nallos@aol.com. For tickets contact Aiah Fanday Financial Secretary at 240 821 3641. Buy your tickets early - this is usually a sell-out event.

“I am now a citizen of Sierra Leone,” the actor-activist announced to us and several dozen other pals in an e-mail this week. He described himself as “completely numb yet elated. I am at a loss for words.”

What’s the story? Four years ago, Washington – a Howard University alum and former star of “Grey’s Anatomy” – had DNA tests showing, he said, that he is descended from the Mende and Temne people of Sierra Leone. Ever since, the impoverished African nation has been his cause. He started a foundation and opened a new school in the village of Njala Kendema. He also supported the campaign of the new president, Ernest Koroma – and earlier this year asked him for citizenship.

“Anyone who knows me – Sierra Leone is all I talk about,” said Washington, 45, who lately rivals Alec Baldwin and Angelina Jolie in terms of celeb-hours logged on Capitol Hill. He has also become something of an evangelist for tracing one’s DNA back to the motherland. (His foundation is affiliated with a separate business that provides such tests.) Past movements to connect African Americans with African causes tended to wither, he argues, “Because there was no real sense of connection.” But the blood connection brings it home: “DNA has memory…People can go back and reclaim their language, their heritage, their land.”

The second citizenship isn’t just symbolic, he said. “It’s economic – now I can own land there. This is the greatest repatriation ever.” Washington told us he got the thumbs-up from the Sierra Leone government this week; he hopes to make a trip in the new year to make his dual citizenship official.