Our Chess Champion Has a Home

[DirtEdonE]

Some much needed good news.

Updating this thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211930811

Our Chess Champion Has a Home

The 8-year-old refugee who last week was thrilled to have a trophy suddenly has so much more.

By Nicholas Kristof

Opinion Columnist

March 23, 2019

"Tanitoluwa Adewumi, age 8, skidded around the empty apartment, laughing excitedly, then leapt onto his dad’s back. “I have a home!” he said in wonderment. “I have a home!”

A week ago, the boy was homeless, studying chess moves while lying on the floor of a shelter in Manhattan. Now Tani, as he is known, has a home, a six-figure bank account, scholarship offers from three elite private schools and an invitation to meet President Bill Clinton.

“I think I am still dreaming,” said Tani’s dad, Kayode Adewumi. “I hope I don’t wake up.”

I wrote in my column last weekend about Tani as a reminder of the principle that talent is universal, even if opportunity is not. A Nigerian refugee who had learned chess only a bit more than a year earlier, he had just defeated kids from elite private schools to win the New York state chess championship for his age group. He lugged a trophy nearly as big as he is back to the homeless shelter.

Now the story gets even better."

READ MORE!

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/23/opinion/sunday/homeless-chess-champion-tani.html?emc=edit_th_190324&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=469281980324

[Phentex]

1. Heartwarming!

Intelligent AND kind! What beautiful people.

[DirtEdonE]

2. I must post a bit more

This family is what America should aspire to be, IMO.

"The Adewumis have decided that they will not spend a cent of the $200,000 GoFundMe money on themselves. They will take out a 10 percent tithe and donate it to their church, which helped them while they were homeless, and the rest will be channeled through a new Tanitoluwa Adewumi Foundation to help African immigrants who are struggling in the United States the way they were a week ago.

“Anybody who is coming from Africa who is in the position we were in, we will help them,” Mr. Adewumi said, acknowledging that details need to be worked out."

Read the rest. When they asked Tani if he didn't mind giving away $200K he said NO, HE WANTS TO HELP OTHER KIDS!!!

[Phentex]

3. I read the whole thing and I agree with you...

I do hope they buy him a computer though.

The author seems to imply that things had to fall in place and this isn't just about money. That's true. But when you think about those wealthy parents spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on bribes to get their kids into college, you have to wonder WHAT kind of America they are promoting compared to what the Adewumis are promoting.