He’s the “Grey’s Anatomy” star who has landed on the cover of multiple entertainment magazines. He’s no stranger to controversy and recently (perhaps as a result of the controversy) he has become a familiar face on the celebrity charity circuit. These days actor Isaiah Washington is making headlines once again, but this time it’s for a very unique donation he made to aid a project that aims to detail the Atlantic slave trade.
Washington told news reporters he traced his ancestral roots to Sierra Leone through DNA testing, consequently he decided to donate $25,000 to a computer animation project that focuses on the history of the slave trade.
“The stories of innumerable Sierra Leoneans that were forced into slavery have yet to be extensively told,” Washington said. “I believe this project will begin to shed some much-needed light on the region, both past and present.”
Washington’s donation focuses specifically on Bunce Island, an 18th-century slave-trading castle that sent African captives to North America. According to Washington’s publicist, two professors from James Madison University in Virginia are directing the project, which will show the castle as it appeared in 1805. In addition, the educators hope to create a CD that will allow students to look at the castle to see what Africans experienced 250 years ago.
The actor’s donation was made through his Gondobay Manga Foundation and the Friends of Sierra Leone, the nonprofit foundation Washington created last year to improve the lives of people in the West African nation.
Not to be outdone, actor John Travolta scored a few headlines himself when he donated a “hog” to help restore a landmark movie theater.
The actor’s donation had two wheels instead of four legs and was featured in the movie “Wild Hogs” in which he stars. Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, drove down the red carpet on the custom-made Harley-Davidson motorcycle, during the movie’s premiere. After he autographed the bike, Travolta handed it over to be auctioned off at a benefit dinner in May. (The actor’s leather jacket and a signed motorcycle helmet will also be on auction block.)
Proceeds from the auction will support the Marion Theatre renovation project.
Related Articles:
Celebrities, The Environment, and Human Rights
Charitable Celebrities-Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Rapper Proves He Has Heart And… “Sole”