I suppose I'm not the kind of guy to like Bill Gates. He is an ultra-billionaire preppy white guy that wears those funny sweaters and shirts.
It's the same thing that he has worn everyday since high school at Lakeside, the ultimate snobbish school for rich kids.
Plus, I never really got along with accountants and computer geeks because their minds operate in a cold, calculating way and leaves very little room for human spontaneity.
But this guy has broken the mold - in our lifetimes, Bill Gates would have donated more resources to African people than any person in the history of the world.
(And we can't ignore what he's done for education here in the United States: the Gates Foundation has made a huge financial commitment in excess of $328 million to high schools in Washington and across the nation. They have committed to building 1,500 high schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia; they have given $1 billion from the Gates Millennium Fund that sends thousands of black students to college on technology scholarships.)
In Africa, the Gates Foundation has kicked in $250 million to tackle malaria; $1.5 billion in the GAVI Alliance to help poor countries get vaccinations; $448 million to the Global Health Initiative which supports 44 projects in disease research; and billions toward eradicating AIDS in Africa and India.
Martin Luther King County
The other reason that this is important to me is because, as the un-official public relations man for Martin Luther King County, Bill Gates is my poster boy for what those of us who live here should be about. You should not live in the only county or political unit in the nation named after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and be ordinary or don't have a passion for positive change.
This is my story and I am going to stick to it: Martin Luther King County should lead the nation in education, health, social services and the criminal justice system. The county should embody many of the same qualities as Martin Luther King Jr.
Fortunately, its one of the wealthiest counties in the world with a dozen or so billionaires and three of the top 10 richest people in the world. Lakeside has to have the wealthiest alumni of any high school in America.
We have the resources in Martin Luther King County to change the world and the Gates Foundation has been doing just that. It is the only organization that I could work at and could not wait to get up the next morning and go to work. I too have a yearning to change the world.
Now Bill is stepping down at Microsoft to spend all of his time on the Foundation and that is the best news possible for African people all over the world. He has the status to get other people engaged - like U2's Bono or Warren Buffet - the second richest man in the world.
At some point I hope that African and African American leaders come together to show this button- down preppy guy how much we appreciate what he has done. Even though Bill is not looking for any more plaques or awards it is essential that those who do so much are given their just due, if nothing more than to inspire others.
With all of these resources the African American Leadership of Martin Luther King County should be the most powerful group in the nation. We should be a conduit to make things happen in America and the world rather than some passive observers to the good the Gates Foundation and others may do.
Officially: best friends
So in the absence of a formal process I am designating Bill and Melinda Gates as the best friend of African people in the world. For lack of the finances to give them an appropriate award I will say this: I pledge as the unofficial PR man for Martin Luther King County to do anything in my power to make sure they understand they are appreciated by African Americans and Africans in every corner of the planet.
Bill and Medina are building a world that will be safe and sane for their children. They are making the world better rather than building bigger walls and hiring more guards around their mansion. We all are benefiting and that's why I believe that if you want to impact the world there is no better place to do it from than Martin Luther King County.
Finally, I hope Ron Sims at least develops a special recognition award for Gates and others whose impact can be felt in every part of the globe. Let's call it the Dream Makers Award, for those who see the dream and make it real, from Martin Luther King County.[[In-content Ad]]
