Memphis Teen Raises $32,000 In Five Days After Parents Allegedly Cut Her Off Because She Is Dating A Black Guy
Let’s give a huge round of applause to 18-year-old Allie Dowdle.
Dowdle started a GoFundMe page on Jan. 11 after her parents allegedly cut her off and stopped supporting her after she told them that she had been dating Michael who is African American. She claims that the money is going to her tuition costs for college next year and she’s raised over $32,000 in five days.
About a year ago, I told my parents that I’d started dating a boy named Michael, pictured with me above. Hoping to share him with my family, I showed my parents his picture, and the conversation was over before it even began. My dad did not give me an option: he told me that I was not allowed to see Michael ever again. Why? Strictly because of skin color. It wasn’t a quiet “no,” either. I’ll never forget the yelling my parents did, when they expressed how disappointed they were in me, that I could do so much better. I did not know what to do. I couldn’t comprehend how someone could be seen as less because of pigment. I still can’t comprehend it, and I never will be able to.
Michael and I continued to see each other, but discretely. Over the past year, I’ve fought so hard to make my parents see Michael as a human being instead of just someone who is African American. I’ve advocated as best I know how. Finally, about a month ago, Michael and I approached my parents, but their response was much more drastic than I could’ve ever expected. As I am 18, my parents have chosen to no longer support my future, stripping me of all my resources including my personal savings, my car, my phone, and my education and leaving me on my own to pay for college. Unfortunately, I will no longer be able to attend college if I cannot come up with the money somehow. My parents also got involved with my school in attempt to get me removed from the organizations I’ve been a part of, like Coexist and Facing History and Ourselves, clubs that essentially encourage valueing and treating people equally.
Here is what the parents had to say about the entire situation, via The Daily News:
The elder Dowdle said “it was never about race,” that he is not a racist and that his daughter’s statements about race are “a justification and gave her the moral high ground.”
He said that he and his wife would accept whomever their daughter wanted to date, but that he disapproved of both Michael and a previous boyfriend in part because Allie had started seeing them in secret.
Talk about the ultimate middle-finger to your parents and their alleged beliefs.
Not only has Allie kept seeing Michael, but she’s also raised over $32,000 in less than a week.
But, I’ll go ahead and say it, this entire thing could actually be a hoax. Like her and her parents could be the smartest people on Earth and are making this a story and are getting other people to pay for Allie’s ‘tuition’ or maybe they just wanted to see how far they could take this.
Regardless, it’s incredible.
