The Amadou Diallo Foundation ...

mission is to promote racial healing through activities including programs in schools, that seek to diminish prejudice and racial conflicts and enhance police-community relations.

The Amadou Diallo Foundation wishes to propose a series of three, related educational programs, in the memory and spirit of Amadou Diallo, whose own aspirations for pursuing higher education were tragically destroyed by the events that took place in his life.

The Amadou Diallo Foundation is pleased to offer scholarship aid to students of African descent or to students who have immigrated to the United States from Africa. We are particularly interested in supporting students who would not be otherwise able to continue their education without additional financial aid.

Amadou Bailo Diallo was born in Liberia on September 2, 1975. He was the eldest of four children born to Kadiatou Diallo and Amadou Saikou Diallo. He has one sister, Laouratou Diallo 22, two brothers, Ibrahim 19 and Abdoul Diallo 17.

Amadou grew up in Liberia, Guinea, Togo and Thailand. He was a well rounded child. He loved to read and as he grew older his desire to become educated and to go to college became of paramount importance to him. He also enjoyed the physical challenge of sports, playing soccer as well as basketball.

Prior to leaving for the United States in September, 1996, he had traveled to many different countries with his family as well as on his own. In addition to Guinea, Liberia, Togo and Thailand, he had traveled to France, Asia and Japan. He attended the International School in Thailand then The Computer Institute in Singapore, which is an affiliate of The Cambridge University of England. He was fluent in Fulani, the native language of Guinea, as well as English, French, Spanish and Thai.

As a young man he continually encouraged his younger brothers and sister to obtain an education, for he firmly believed that an education enabled anyone to achieve anything desired.

In September, 1996 Amadou departed for the United States seeking the opportunity to further his education. His dream was to become educated in the field of computer science and thereafter to return home and assume his place as eldest son and head of his family. On leaving Guinea he told his mother "You have worked so hard and struggled so long to take care of our family, I must become a success so I can take over and you may rest".

The ultimate goal of the Amadou Diallo Foundation is to insure that Amadou's dream will be realized by other young people, so that although he is gone, his dream will survive and his memory, who he was and what he stood for, will be forever green.