Reach One Million Campaign

Ask actor Isaiah Washington, who publicly parted ways with “Grey’s Anatomy” under a cloud in 2007, what he’s doing these days, and you’d probably be surprised at the answer. If you think he’s been licking his wounds and waiting around for a new gig, you’d be absolutely wrong. In fact, Washington, 45, recently made history as the first African-American to receive full citizenship in a West African country based on DNA — in his case, his “homeland” of Sierra Leone, a small country in West Africa.

No, he wasn’t born there. But after tracing his ancestry and finding out he was descended from Sierra Leone’s Mende people, Washington became interested in the country and made several visits there. His Gondobay Manga Foundation, named after the title he was given when made a chief in the country, is committed to helping the people of Sierra Leone achieve education and economic independence. Like his fellow Leo, President-elect Barack Obama (the two are born one day and two years apart), Washington is an advocate for change. Now best known to Americans for its blood diamonds, war and poverty, Sierra Leone was once considered the “Athens of Africa” and was the country where revolt leader Joseph Cinque and his fellow Amistad shipmates was born. If anyone can make a turnaround in Sierra Leone happen, it’s Washington, who can expound on the country with the same zeal and knowledge of any professor of African studies.

BlackAmericaWeb.com: How did you become interested in Sierra Leone?

Isaiah Washington: I thought it would be prudent before I supported African Ancestry (an organization that encourages genetic testing to determine ancestry) and having every African-American tested; I had to know what I was talking about based on my own heritage. On Feb. 12, 2005, I found out my own, and for eight months, I read everything I could get my hands on about Sierra Leone.

It was an undeniable pull. I had no control. It was like getting happy in church. I thought I had lost my soul because I could not stop myself from figuring out a way to return. When I got the information, I screamed. I had to cover my mouth. It felt like spirits were lining themselves up to walk on their shoulders for me to bridge this gap. The spirits literally felt that they had a vessel to do what they were trying to do — from Marcus Garvey to W.E.B. DuBois [all who were proponents of Pan-Africanism, which seeks to unite people of the African diaspora.] In 1978, when Rev. Leon A. Sullivan started preaching to his congregation about dual citizenship, they thought he was crazy. But what he was saying is [Africa’s] the cradle of civilization. All the problems that we have we can solve by going back to the Motherland. I felt the connection when I got to Sierra Leone.

How so?

When I got there I was looking at my Aunt Gloria; all of my aunts. My face was recognized by West Africans long before I either knew or cared. When I was on the show, Sierra Leonians were like, ‘He looks like one of us, but we don’t recognize the name.’ Those who had access to television had already adopted Dr. Burke long before Isaiah Washington got there. Once they realized I had Sierra Leonian ancestry, it was like I could have run the country. And that’s how I was treated once I got there.

What does this historical awarding of citizenship mean for you?

The dual citizenship passport gives me access to 16 other African countries.It’s like having a really cool Amex card. It gets you in and out of places with a lot of respect. I can own land and put 99 year leases on Home Depots and Starbucks and Loews’ on that property for them to build on and create prosperity for my people and for generations in the future. I can participate in the political process and run for president of Sierra Leone if I chose to.

What was it that inspired you about the people there once you visited the country?

When I got there, I asked the people what five things would you want the world to know. What would they change about their country? What help they would need to change their lives? The answers were addressing and eradicating corruption; being able to afford education, food and have clean water; addressing the impact that malaria has had on their people in rural areas and having access to health care. With all the resources that are still being raped and pillaged by the Europeans, why is it a bad idea for Isaiah Washington to build schools for his people and demand rightful government and sustainability through agriculture?

They have nothing to lose. I have nothing to lose. I’ve been very blessed. There are no reasons for me not to give back. I grew up in a Baptist church learning to give back. My mother would give people the shirt off her back whether they appreciated it or not. I want the world to know the people of Sierra Leone are not at fault for circumstances beyond their control. They want the opportunity to live in peace and liberty and be allowed the pursuit of happiness just like everyone else.

Sierra Leone, as many people know, is a country rich in diamonds that has been exploited by other nations. What can people who want to support your effort do?

Three trillion dollars worth of diamonds have come out of this country since 1935 and it’s number 179 on the list of 179 countries on the United Nations World Human Development Index. When I go to the Golden Globes and the Emmys, everyone is wearing diamonds. I don’t have anything against it, but okay, if you’re going to wear all these diamonds, why is it so difficult to donate $100 or $200 to a country that has probably provided those diamonds and has died for them or been enslaved for them? I’m hoping you can speak on my behalf to let my people go. Not everyone in Sierra Leone is good or wants to work, but there are enough resources there to feed the world, and last time I checked there was a global food shortage. I’ve put over a half-million dollars into this campaign and made history in a country I knew nothing about three years ago. A $5,000 tractor has planted over 1400 acres of land growing rice, peanuts, pepper and sorghum. People are eating again in the Bo region. What I’m creating is not just history. I’m trying to show people the way to reverse the Middle Passage. Keep your eyes on me.

I have to ask, what’s next for your acting career? Has there been a backlash from the “Grey’s Anatomy” situation?

Well, I have “Hurricane Season” with Forest Whitaker coming out in March. I don’t know if I have any answer to the question. I’ve done everything that I’ve wanted to do. I have 5,000 fans on Facebook. I have my wife and kids, and we have a beautiful home, and we’re eating. What it did do is that people who didn’t know Isaiah Washington now know him. It created more of a platform.

But it think it’s fair to say that there are people who feel that when black folks make a mistake in public, they never recover from it.

I don’t believe in those kinds of constructs. I get my nurturing from the Dalai Lama, from Martin Luther King, not from Us Weekly or National Enquirer. I don’t have time to think about those kinds of things. My heart is much bigger. I wouldn’t have been able to create Dr. Burke if I had minute thoughts. There was a time when Lou Gossett, Jr. was cancelled for playing a character like that or when dark-skinned actor couldn’t play a lead role on TV. I don’t wake up in the morning thinking of any negative. All I think about is love. Hang out with me. If your mind is not changed by the end of the day, you’re probably dead.